


Getting The Girl

by latdetvara



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 04:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4592379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latdetvara/pseuds/latdetvara





	Getting The Girl

  ****

Almost missing the train at South Kensington, she settled into the corner seat. Of course, it was Tube rush-hour, and she was in the second to last car. Shifting into the 30 minute ride, she pulled out her mobile and tuned into her favorite playlist. She didn’t notice when he’d gotten on, or if he had been there when she’d jumped onto the train. It was almost her stop: Parsons Green, when he slid into the seat next to her. Neither of them minded the closeness, although they were 2/7ths of the passengers on the car. When he stood up at the same time she did, she knew he would be interesting.

Stepping off the train, he was on her heels. The pumps she’d worn to work clattered against the brick, interrupting the quiet of night. Until she heard him behind her. She stopped under the street light just to be safe.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked, spinning and crashing into him. Almost as solid as a brick wall and at least a head taller, he could easily overpower her. But he didn’t. Instead, he caught her shoulders and steadied her- looking into her eyes the whole time with extreme worry.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I erhm,” Surprising her, his voice was unsteady and raspy, “You left this at South Kensington,” He smiled and held out her favorite notebook. Wow, he traveled all that way to get a stranger their notebook. She was speechless. “Sorry to stalk you...but you never acknowledged me on the train,” Still speechless, she stood staring. He ran his hand through his hair. “Um, I’m Harry,” He smiled again. Wow his smile was amazing. His eyes, too, even in the dusk were glinted and green. His eyebrows did the cute scrunchy thing when he talked, too, she thought. “Is anyone in there?” He asked, waving a large bony hand in front of her face.

“Wow, I’m sorry.” She blushed, clearly he knew what she was thinking, “Yes, thank you so much for my notebook, I probably would have died without it...” He was staring now. “Well, like not die, but I mean, pretty close...” Trailing off, she looked down at it in her hands awkwardly.

“You’re American, yeah?” He finally asked. She looked up and nodded. “What brings you here?” He asked like genuinely wanted to know. Looking in his eyes, it both intimidated her and gave her confidence.

“Well, in the beginning, I’d only done the study abroad program and loved London. When I got back home, I applied for a Visa and now I’ve been here for about 2 years?” She smiled, nostalgia hitting her like a brick.

“That’s incredible, good for you.” He smiled, a look crossed his face then disappeared. “Would you like to get dinner or something?” She gave him a look of surprise and he put his hands up in defense, “No, no, sorry, that was really forward. I’m not doing much tonight, just waiting around for a couple of friends to get back, and decided to hop on a train and adventure about, then I found you and your notebook. But now I’m hungry, so I was wondering if you knew where a good place was, I’m not familiar with this area.” Slowly he rambled on, letting his thoughts just flow from his mind to his mouth.

She weighed her options, tons of paperwork to go through, dinner with a handsome stranger who probably just wants sex...The sex would probably be fun...Work, and an appointment in the morning, too. Her roommate was home. And she would have to shave.

“Ummm, I’m sorry, Harry, was it?” He nodded. “I’m sorry, I would like to but I have work to do tonight...” She trailed off, holding up her bag as proof. He nodded understandingly.

“Oh yeah, I forgot people have real jobs. I’m sorry for imposing,” He smiled and stuck his hand out. They shook.

“It was nice to meet you,” They said at the same time, then laughed together.

She held up her notebook, “Thanks again for this,” smiling she turned around, ready to go home: she was never this awkward...okay sort of. When she was about to turn to a different street, about a block away she heard him yell to her.

“I never got your name!” She turned around, to see him standing in the same spot under the street light. She smiled.

“It’s Charlie,” She called, he waved then went on his way. She sighed, and turned the corner onto her street. Her roommate was apparently “out” aka fucking someone new, so Charlie stuck to her normal routine. Gathering leftovers from the fridge and a bottle of wine from the liquor cabinet, she retreated into her room. Wishing she had a pet or at least a roommate that was home, she blared her favorite playlist. As the familiar mix of Ray LaMontagne and Ron Pope filled her tiny bedroom, she felt better. As the stars rose higher, he never left her mind, or her his.

****  
  


There were 3 of them. 3 beautiful, colorful, intricate tattoos for Charlie to choose from. The tattooist looked at her warily, hoping his designs were good enough for her taste- he knew how high her standards were, he’d done her last 7 tattoos. Charlie looked closely at each tattoo, flipping her platinum collarbone-length hair from shoulder to shoulder. The tattoo she was about to choose would go on her right upper arm, covering her shoulder and stopping at her elbow.

“These are beautiful, Will, I’m not sure how to choose,” She sighed. Will smiled in relief, and stood up.

“Alright, you decide and I’ll be right back,” He left, crossing the shop as someone came in. Charlie looked in the mirror at herself, still deciding. She investigated her image in the mirror, her mousy brown roots were starting to poke through again, her eyeliner was a little crooked, and the outfit: a white tank top and leather pants she’d decided on with her favorite gray beanie and black heeled boots, was just not working for her anymore. She sighed, and went back to staring at the 3 tattoos Will created for her. Her favorite was the one in the middle: orchids and roses surrounded by dark outlines and shadows, overlain by a fine gray grain. Rubbing her upper arm in anxiety, she wandered out into the lobby and followed the sound of Will’s voice.

“Hey Will, I think I-” As she turned the corner, the scene in front of her was astounding. There he was, the handsome guy from the night before; sharing a pot of coffee with Will. He glanced up at her, then did a double take as Will motioned for Charlie to come in.

“Charlie, Harry,” Will smiled, as Charlie sat down on the arm of his chair.

“We’ve met,” Charlie and Harry said together, Harry winked at her as she giggled about their timing.

“What are you doing here?” They asked, again both at the same time. Charlie turned and framed her shoulder with her hand.

“Getting another,” She smiled and Will laughed.  

“Harry was also considering getting another,” Will sighed, and Harry flaunted his arms in confirmation. “And I was just about to ask you if you would mind rescheduling, Charlie,” Will turned to her. “I have class at 10 and your piece might take me a while...” Charlie nodded, understanding; it was already 8:45 and she had to go work, too. Will continued talking, this time to Harry.

“And when you’re done, just make sure you clean up your station this time, I’m sick of cleaning up after your shit,” He teased, but Harry only nodded because he was staring at Charlie.

“Charlie,” Harry mumbled, “if you wanted to get yours done today, I have time...” He hesitantly smiled, “If you want to?” He smiled again, then sat expectantly. Charlie looked from Harry to Will then back to Harry. Will shrugged, almost in reassurance but mostly in nonchalance.

Charlie nodded, “I mean, sure, I told the office I wouldn’t be in until noon,” She smiled.

“Alright,” Will stood up and returned his mug to the stack by the coffee brewer, “You guys have fun!”

Harry looked up at Charlie from his seat on the couch, her smile was reserved which worried him. Harry was known for his corny jokes, but she didn’t know that yet, although she was about to.

“So Charlie,” He said in his most serious voice and she looked at him puzzled, “How does a train eat?” He asked, and she smiled.

“It goes chew, chew,” She replied, mimicking a conductor and pulling an imaginary string. He laughed along with her; he’d never found anyone that knew his jokes, let alone thought they were funny too. Who was she? Where had she been all of his life? So much about this girl interested him, attracted him, and made him want to know more about her.

Almost telepathically, they stood up at the same time after their laughter subsided, both of them ready to get tattooing. Following Harry back to Will’s station, Charlie noticed all the tattoos covering him. Black, grey, and tan were all a blur on both arms, and while she couldn’t tell how many there were, she was sure that there was plenty more being covered.

She was too busy investigating his tattoos that she didn’t realize he’d stopped walking until she bumped into his back. Being extremely clumsy, she grabbed hold onto whatever she could to keep her balance and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) clutched his butt. Startling both herself and Harry, she released it immediately and fell to the ground. He stared down at her, there on the floor, at first in confusion and then amusement. She gaped back at him, her eyes wide and mouth forming a perfect “o”. The entire catastrophe, while complicated, only lasted a few seconds.

He laughed first, breaking the awkward tension.

“Here, let me help you,” He smiled and extended his hand for her, but she was already up before he got his hand all the way extended.

“Wow, I’m so sorry, I totally did not mean to do that, I’m so sorry,” She stammered and blushed, making sure never to make eye contact with Harry.

“If you wanted to grope me, you could have just asked,” He teased, then turned towards the desk where Will’s sketches were scattered about. She faked a giggle in response and joined him next to the desk.

“It’s that one,” She whispered, pointing to her favorite. Harry looked at her surprised, then back at the one Charlie had chosen. “What?” She demanded, defensively. He shook his head, smiling.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” He replied picking it up, “It’s just that I drew this one...” He smirked cockily. Charlie only nodded, not wanting to boost his ego by telling him it was her favorite.

“Well, should we get to it?” She requested, sitting down. He nodded and got to organizing and preparing the items he needed, while Charlie watched vigilantly. From that time on, while he touched and tattooed her arm, neither of them said a word. Clearly he liked to work in quiet, and Charlie was just the same.

After an hour, she was surprised when he was done. She’d refrained from watching the needle puncture her skin, the thought of it making her queasy. Harry leaned back in his chair after he’d wrapped it for her, obviously pleased with his handiwork. Placing his hands behind his head, he smiled cheekily.

“You can thank me later,” He winked. Charlie rolled her eyes and stood up, checking the time and pulling her bag over her non-tattooed shoulder. She had 45 minutes to get to work and it was about a 30 minute commute, on a good day.

“Well, thank you,” She said, handing him a large bill, “Keep the change, love,” She winked and walked out of the shop then to the station across the street, before he could even stand up. He grinned to himself, knowing that this girl would be a challenge, but also very much enjoying how she made him feel. From that moment, sitting in the small confines of Will’s office, he knew he would stop at absolutely nothing to be friends with Charlie.

****  
  


It would be weeks until Charlie would go anywhere other than work and home. The tattoo Harry had done for her healed perfectly, and it was in the running for her favorite. Competing against it was the large mandala on her thigh, and the first tattoo she’d ever gotten, “let it be” on her wrist.

Finally, on her first day off in 23 consecutive days, she decided to go to the library. She was seriously in need of new books, and she never bought books because she read them too fast. Contemplating bringing work to the library, she packed a book bag with her favorite notebook and lucky pen, also throwing in some random pencils and erasers just because. Before leaving, she checked once again in the mirror. It was a long walk to her favorite library and it would be her luck if it started to rain, so she pulled on a hoodie over her cotton t-shirt and ripped skinny jeans. Jack, her long lost roommate, looked up from his book as she was walking out the door. He smiled and rubbed his blonde beard, before running his hand through his hair and getting back to his book.

“Library?” He asked, knowing her habits. She nodded and he waved in goodbye.

“No, actually I decided I’m going to go get some heroin and meth, you know, the usual,” She teased. He ignored her comment, knowing his best friend and roommate well.

“I’ll have pasta in the fridge for you, I’m going out again tonight.” He called as she closed the door. Not long after she closed it, she heard dishes being tossed into the sink.

Ambling down the street, she thought back on her relationship with Jack. They’d met at University and shared the same major, they spent nights studying together. In the beginning, Charlie thought Jack was gay, but it turned out he was just an asshole. Combining his rude behaviors with the fact that the only dated to fuck, it was easy for them to stay friends. She enjoyed having him as a roommate: he always cleaned up after himself, he paid rent on time, and never had parties or one-night stands in their paper-thin walled apartment. It was also a nice situation for Jack, Charlie was quiet, hard-working, and she took the smaller bedroom. The only thing the both of them didn’t like was that they had to share a bathroom. She smirked at the thought of Jack accidentally walking in on her in the bath while he’d escaped one of conquests.

Still making the trek towards the library, she lost herself in her thoughts, perfectly content with life at the moment. Soon enough, though, she spotted the library only a few streets up. Crossing the threshold from outside into the library, Charlie felt even better. Scouring the “Classics” shelves, she finally discovered a few books that could keep her entertained. Rounding the corner, she found an empty table and settled herself into its chair. She then pulled her sweatshirt off and bundled it into a makeshift backrest, finally opening her book and letting it consume her.  

He had seen her come in, and kicked himself for not approaching her right away. Harry pretended he was browsing as well, following her through the stacks of shelves. He loved how absorbed she was, she took time to look at every single title, tilting her head to the side to read some of them. He smiled outwardly while she picked out not one but five books, stacking them carefully in the crook of her arm. He’d even watched her as she was looking for a table to sit at, she was biting her lip as she’d rounded the corner. Gosh, he’d never seen anyone more beautiful than Charlie. He’d been kicking himself these past 29 days for not asking her on a date again, or at least asking for her number.

Sitting down at his own table, he thought about tattooing her. She’d been so calm, not once flinching or cringing at the pain. Her skin had been so soft and warm. When he had done the final flowers and really looked at her there was another hint of a tattoo at the nape of her neck, poking through the blonde of her hair. He’d even lifted his hand as if to brush her hair back and look for himself, but his subconscious stopped him from making that day more awkward for them. Harry still couldn’t believe she’d fondled his ass. Ugh, or when he’d turned around to see her wide eyed and flushed on the floor, he just wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

Hearing movement from what sounded like her table, he reached to the nearest bookshelf and grabbed the first book he could. She walked right past his aisle, sweatshirt back on and books in hand.

In her peripheral vision she saw Harry, at her library. Wow, this guy couldn’t get any more interesting. He looked so out of place, sitting there reading. Assuming he hadn’t seen her, she darted to another table, waiting for him to walk by. Pretending to doodle, Charlie glanced towards his aisle repeatedly for five minutes. After relaxing and actually doodling, she got up. Determined to leave this time, but not before she went to see if it was actually Harry. Slinking towards the shelf just on the opposite side of his table, she saw there was nobody there anymore. Disappointed and embarrassed, she turned around quickly and ran into someone. Her pencils and notebook fell to the floor and her eyes met a familiar pair of green ones. Oh God, it’s him, she thought.

Charlie giggled, picking up the papers that fell out of her notebook, “This is not what it looks like, I promise,” she blushed. He just nodded and handed her the pencil she’d dropped.

“So then, why exactly were you hiding behind the bookshelf?” He winked.

Wincing, she replied, “Looking for a new book,” She pulled out the nearest one, “Ah, perfect, just the one I was looking for,” He pulled it out of her hand and laughed. He had a really wonderful, lovely laugh, she caught herself thinking.

“So, I really hope you’re going into the medical field or something, because running around castrating people,” She gasped and pulled the book away from him, stowing it back on the shelf, “Isn’t exactly legal...” He laughed, and plucked it back, investigating the cover.

“Castration for Dummies,” They both read aloud. He glanced down at her, she was still staring at the title and her cheeks were growing more red by the second. He tossed it back on the shelf, seeing as it made her uncomfortable.

“Okay, now it’s really not what it looks like,” She uttered, clearly embarrassed.

“Mhmm, sure,” He teased, elbowing her, “I’m actually incredibly worried for my dick now,” Harry mused and when she finally peered at him from under her eyelashes, he smirked. “I’m not actually worried, Charlie,” He elbowed her again, but she wouldn’t look at him. Harry nodded, knowing her well enough to know that she won’t look until she’s comfortable.

“Alright,” He stated, stepping in front of her and tilting her chin up to ensure eye contact, “How about this,” She raised an eyebrow. Perfect, he thought, she’s back. “In order for you to make it up to me, we go get coffee?” She pretended to think about it, then shrugged.

“I guess,” She fakely groaned, which made him smile wide, “But you still should keep an eye on your balls.” Then she turned and paced out of the library, making him catch up to her.

On their walk to the nearest coffee shop, they talked about weather and mundane concepts like cars that passed by, or how annoying it was for people to rush past them (which was extremely, because they weren’t walking slowly.)

Upon entering the small shop, he opened the door for her and they were immediately blasted with warm air and the smell of espresso.

****  
  


“Honestly,” Harry continued arguing, “Tea is not only better tasting, but it’s better for you.” Charlie shook her head, taking another sip of her coffee mixed with two shots of espresso.

“I strongly disagree with you, Harold,” She retorted, he glared at her, hating the name she’d started giving him.

“Please tell me how coffee is better, Charles,” He winked. She glared then too, abhoring the fact he was calling her a man’s name.

“Well, tons of studies have shown that coffee can help reduce the onset of Alzheimer’s and Dementia, along with a less of a risk to die from heart disease,” She explained, her latest fact-checking assignment had her analyzing the positives and negatives coffee had on the body, so she was feeling confident in her ability to beat Harry in this argument.

“Sure, but tea, especially green,” He held up his mug for evidence, “has powerful antioxidants that may protect against cancer. Multiple studies show that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of various types of cancer.”

“Okay, but other studies have shown that coffee can reduce pain, bettering hangover time and headaches,” She countered.

“Some studies show that green tea leads to increased weight loss. It is particularly effective at reducing the dangerous abdominal fat,” He stated in a sarcastic tone, “You can’t tell me coffee can do that, and your coffee,” He pointed towards the cup in Charlie’s hands with the one in his, “causes tooth discoloration while my tea helps protect these babies.” He grinned widely.

They’d been so immersed in their conversation that neither of them had noticed they’d gained an audience. Two teenage girls were standing right next to their table, clearly gaping at Harry. His face reddened, and smiled up at them.

“Do you think we could get a picture or autograph, Harry?” One girl asked, clearly the braver of the two. He nodded and stood up, making conversation with them. The braver one handed a mobile to Charlie to take the picture, and Harry smiled in apology to her. She took a couple pictures, with the girls doing different poses around Harry. They said their goodbyes and when Harry turned back to Charlie, he rolled his eyes. Who was this guy? She wondered.

“I’m so sorry, Charlie,” He whispered, sitting back down in his chair. She sat too. “I didn’t think anyone would see us, I’m sorry.”

“No, no,” She comforted, “It’s alright, but I guess I do have a question,” She laughed when he raised one eyebrow. “Are you famous?”

He laughed, “Did you live under a rock four years ago?” He teased, but when she looked at him puzzled he continued, “I was in a band, and we were pretty popular before we broke up,” He sighed and then proceeded, “Liam, one of the boys in the band got married, then we started drifting apart.” Charlie nodded in response, a billion questions going through her head.

“Do you feel like telling me more?” She asked, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

He smiled at her from across the table and then took a sip of his tea before responding.

“I think it’s kind of a long story,” He said, brushing his hand through his hair and Charlie nodded again. They both checked their mobiles for the time, and seeing that it was later than she’d thought, Charlie stood up.

“We can save it for another time,” She smiled, then said, “Because I have to go.” at the same time Harry asked, “So, this will happen again?”

He blinked, “Oh, I’m sorry,” then sighing, stood and pushed in his chair as well, “I sort of lost track of time. Can I walk you to somewhere, just so you’re safe?”

“Well, I walked from my house...” She muttered, hoping Jack was maybe home so he could meet her halfway.

“Let me walk you, please,” He smiled as they walked out the door and into the chilled night. Charlie was glad she’d worn her sweatshirt. “I could probably tell you my story now,” Harry suggested. When she nodded in reassurance, he continued.

“At the end of our last tour, we were all worn out, getting sick of one another, things like that,” He sighed, “Liam got married, so he was spending time honeymooning whenever he got the chance, which was perfectly okay because they were ready to start their family. Louis and I weren’t on good terms considering that fans had turned us into something we weren’t and even when he had a girlfriend there were people attacking us saying hurtful things. Zayn wasn’t happy with life anymore because the love of his life put him into rehab for drugs and anorexia, so he left her, which we all didn’t agree with. And then there was Niall had no idea any of this was happening because he was so busy with other things,” He paused as they were crossing a street of busy cars, letting Charlie lead. “We decided to cut our album that was in the works, we weren’t all as happy with it as we had been with our previous four.” He stopped talking abruptly, staring at someone walking kiddy-corner from where he and Charlie were.

“Harry?” Charlie asked, staring in the same direction.

“That’s Liam,” He stated, then in a girlish shout, “Liam Payne from One Direction?!” He’d gotten a few glares from people surrounding them, but his intended target, Liam, turned to them and waved. He was holding hands with a beautiful woman, and she was carrying a toddler. The two groups: Harry and Charlie and Liam and his wife and child, started towards each other, eventually meeting under a lamp post.

Finally being able to look closer, Charlie inspected Liam and his wife while they reunited with Harry. Liam was tall, clean cut and very attractive. The woman next to him was his shoulder height, even in heels. She was incredibly gorgeous and her long dark hair drifted in waves to the middle of her back. The child in her arms was a perfect mix of the two parents, his hair cropped short and chubby cheeks rosy red.

Once they’d said their hellos, Harry turned to Charlie. The woman’s eyes lit up and she smiled widely at her.

“Hello, I’m Sophia, you must be Charlie... Harry’s told us about you,” She smiled and held her hand out, Charlie shook it then glanced confusedly at Harry. He smiled in embarrassment and shrugged. Liam looked at her then back at Harry and smiled widely like his wife.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” He greeted.

“You as well,” Charlie replied to both of them.

“What are you two up to?” Liam asked, almost in a suggestive tone. Harry smiled at him then at Charlie, who was staring at the toddler. Sophia noticed and whispered in the boy’s ear, he then smiled and waved at Charlie who blushed and waved back.

“We were just at the library and then we went for a drink,” Harry replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, and Charlie noticed the way Liam looked at her when Harry said that. Liam was clearly confused.

“We’re just friends Liam, don’t get any ideas.” She spoke up for the first time. Harry sighed at hearing this and Liam glanced sideways at Sophia, who was disappointed.

“But that’s not what you-”

“No.” Harry interrupted him, cutting off all discussion of Charlie and himself. Charlie eyed him warily, he noticed and stuck his tongue out at her. They continued conversation for a few more minutes then parted ways, with Harry promising to keep in touch and Liam doing the same. Charlie and Harry then continued their journey in silence.

“So, Liam,” Harry stated as they kept walking towards Charlie’s house, they were almost there but she wasn’t going to tell him that yet.

“Yeah, what was that about?” Charlie remarked, remembering that he’d thought she and Harry were on a date.

“I told them about you,” He admitted, shrugging. She gaped at him, stopping. He didn’t notice until he’d walked a few more steps without her. He trotted back to her like a lost puppy and waited for her to say something.

“What did you say about me?” She finally asked, looking at her shoes. He took a step closer, so that their shoes were touching and took her face in his hands.

“I told them that you are beautiful, witty, and smart,” He paused and licked his lips subconsciously. She tried to speak but he put a finger on her lips, silencing her immediately. His heart was beating fast and almost audibly hammering against his chest. Hoping she couldn’t hear it, he took a breath then removed the finger from her perfect lips.

He took the finger from her lips, and forced himself to do the exact opposite of what he wanted.

“Charlie, I only told them that I wanted to see you more,” He whispered, looking right into those bewitching brown eyes of hers, “I want to know you, I want to be your friend.”

“This night has turned from arguing about drinks to your horribly hidden secret,” Charlie smiled, her cheeks taking up all of his hands, “And although I would love to talk about this more, I should probably go inside, as my roommate is probably wondering what is happening.” He blinked as he took in what she said then turned to see a man their age looking out the window at them. The guy waved cockily, then retreated into darkness.

“That’s Jack,” Charlie stated. Harry only nodded, still sort of confused, this is where she lived? He wanted more time with her. She must have read his thoughts and patted his cheek, grinning coyly.

“Since you want to be friends so badly,” She said, still grinning, “My last name is Smith, my birthday is in August, and my bestfriend is Jack and also my roommate,” She started up the stairs and turned around to a baffled Harry. She held her hand out, then mimicked for his phone and he complied. While she was putting her number in, the front door opened. The guy stepped out, his glare was obviously directed at Harry.

“Hey Jack, this is Harry. Harry, this is Jack,” Charlie introduced them without looking up from Harry’s phone. They only nodded in acknowledgement of the other.

“Charlie, love,” Jack whined, he was in pajamas and slippers, clearly confused that his usually punctual roommate was coming home at almost midnight. She looked at him and nodded, shooing him back inside. He gave Harry one final glaring glance and slammed the door.

“Alrighty, Harold,” She smiled and handed his mobile back, he still hadn’t said a word since he’d realized this is where she lived, “You have my number now, don’t overuse it, love.” She smirked, sauntered up the stairs and shut the door, closing him out.

He only smiled as she closed the door on him, the warmth from her hands still lingering on his cellphone. He started walking back towards the way they had come, pulling his hood up over his shaggy head of hair. Smiling more, he remembered the topics of conversation they’d had walking to the coffee place. He loved the way her voice got lower when she was serious or the way she giggled when he tried to be funny. Slowly he felt himself realizing that the feelings he had for Charlie were not merely friendship feelings, they were like he’d been shot by Cupid’s arrow.

“Charlie you can’t be serious!” Jack practically shouted when she’d shut the door. Quickly the smile she’d been wearing all night faded.

“What are you even talking about?” She countered, “You don’t know him Jack-”

“Oh trust me, I know enough,” He grunted, sitting at the kitchen table. “We should lock you up before he does something to hurt you.”

Charlie crossed her arms. There was no way she was going to let that happen, he was her first friend in a long time. Jack couldn’t take that away from her.

“Whatever,” She rolled her eyes, “Think what you want, but I will continue to hang out with Harry. We’re just friends and you can’t decide who I can be friends with.” She snapped and stormed to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Jack rolled his eyes, still at the table. He crossed his arms and eventually wandered into his own room to go to sleep. He knew what Harry was capable of and Jack would make sure Charlie would not get hurt by that guy.

Charlie was still sitting cross-legged on her bed when she heard Jack’s door close. She rolled her eyes and was wandering out into the kitchen to get a snack when she heard a ping, meaning she had a text. She ignored it while she gathered an apple and what Jack called “an abomination” aka cookies, he was a health food junkie. Trotting back to her room and closing the door quietly, she heard a second and a third ping.

“The guy is trouble, darling,” Jack called from across the hall.

“Shut up.” She yelled back, still heated that he was about to choose who she could be friends with. Harry had done nothing that made her think he was a bad guy, nor had he tried to flirt extravagantly. She didn’t mind him cradling her face, it made her feel safe and didn’t at all feel like he was going to do anything more than friendly. And besides, what would he see in her? He was hot and totally out of her league. She liked him and was pretty sure he liked her, but maybe she should see what Jack had to say.

Ignoring the ping-ing she wandered across the hall to Jack’s room and as she was twisting the knob, the door opened. Jack was almost as astounded as Charlie was when they crashed into each other.

“I’m sorry for what I said about him, buggie,” Jack spoke first. Buggie was the nickname he’d given her while they were in college because he noticed that her eyes always got big when she was reading. He referred to her as a bug and then the nickname just stuck. He held his arms out for a hug, and she complied. Feeling his arms around her, he was instantly forgiven. Jack could be a dick sometimes; but he was Charlie’s best friend, so it was forgivable.

They stood in his doorway hugging for a while, until both of them realized what they were doing. Charlie released from the embrace first, blushing. They both acknowledged that the hug had more than forgiveness feelings in it, that there could possibly be a love connection. Looking into Jack’s eyes, Charlie felt it. He did too. With a nod, they both leaned in.

****  
  


Disappointed when she didn’t reply, he made up excuses for the lack of reply. Maybe she’d already gone to bed, maybe her phone died, maybe she lost it. Now he just felt like an idiot, embarrassment forming a pit in the bottom of his stomach.

“Harry, do you need anything?” His sister’s voice called from outside the door.

“No,” He yelled back, “But thanks.” He practically could see her waving her hand at him, shooing his thanks away.

Rolling onto his side, he slid his finger across his phone and the light blinded him.

“Now, I know you said not to wear it out, but here I am. Sorry. Kinda. Okay, night.” He sent it, then tossed his cell aside and fell asleep.

“Harry, gosh dammit, wake up!” He rolled over and covered his head with his pillow while his sister shouted from outside his door, “There’s someone here for you!”

Perking up, he wondered if it could be Charlie and then stopped himself. There’s no way it could be her, he thought. But still, a part of him wished it was, and it was this part of him that led him out his bedroom and to the door where Jack was standing.

“May I please talk to you outside, Styles?” Although it was a question, because it was Jack, it was more like a command. Reluctantly, Harry followed him out, onto the front stairs. He knew what Jack was going to say, and braced himself for the brutality while preparing his reply.

“So, Charlie,” Jack stated. His back was to Harry, it had been the whole time. “She’s mine.”

This, Harry wasn’t expecting. “Uh, what?” He asked, scratching his head. Jack turned and threw a finger in his face.

“I know who you are, and what you do to girls like Charlie,” Jack growled, “And vulnerable, beautiful Charlie will never be hurt by you.” He dropped the finger suspended in the air, and shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pockets.  

“I’m not the guy you remember from secondary school, Wilson. Even if I did want to have her, I wouldn’t.” Harry crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing.

“Piss off my girl,” Jack replied and stormed back down the street.

Sunlight streamed in and she flopped to her side, trying to sleep more. Her eyes ripped open when she realized she’d be on the floor if it was her bedroom. Flinching, Charlie slid her hand across the bed without opening her eyes. He wasn’t there.

“Bug,” His gravel voice whispered, she opened her eyes and he laughed. Standing at the foot of the bed was Jack, in pajama pants and holding both of their favorite cereals with milk, bowls, and spoons.

She smiled back, and took her cereal from him, “What time is it?” She asked, she had to be to work by 8, and by the look of the sun, it was getting close.

“It’s 9,” He sighed, she gasped then he shushed her and sat down in the bed, “But I called George, and he said you could use a day off. So, here we are love,” He smirked, “Jesus, Buggie, why didn’t you tell me you stayed 3 hours later than you were supposed to last week?” He asked, scooting up to sit next to her. She shrugged and took a spoonful of Cheerios before replying.

“You’re never home.” She said, indignantly. He shot her a look before taking a spoonful of his cereal, then crawled under the blankets with her. It was almost hard for her to keep her mind in the right place, his leg pressed up against hers and his shirtless torso warming her.

“I didn’t know you wanted me to be,” He grumbled. Charlie shrugged, taking another spoonful of Cheerios. He patted her leg under the blankets and smirked coyly, “Well, maybe I’ll stay home now.”

She smiled back, hoping that maybe he would. But then her mind was also with another guy, only a few houses away.

After dozing back off thanks to being curled up in Jack’s arms, Charlie awoke to the familiar ping of her text-tone.

“Coffee at 3? Same place?” It was Harry. Shifting onto her side, careful not to disturb sleeping Jack, Charlie smiled and agreed. Checking the time, she had about an hour before she would leave. Carefully removing herself from under Jack’s arms, she crawled out of bed and went to shower. She let the warm water soothe her muscles, while letting her mind wander. Jack never explained why he didn’t want her to hang out with Harry, why was that? Did they have some sort of history? Thinking about it, she noticed that they both seemed angry to see each other the night before, what happened with them? These questions swirled in her head while she shampooed and conditioned.

She was still pondering those questions when she stepped into the coffee place where Harry was waiting, two cups sat on the table in front of him. He smiled at her as she approached the table.

“Hey,” She sighed as slid into the wooden chair. In a rush to get out of the house, she’d thrown on a cozy sweater and jeans along with her favorite pair of worn out boots. Jack still hadn’t woken up from his nap while she’d donned makeup and slipped out of the door.

“Black coffee with two shots, yeah?” Harry asked, sliding a mug towards her with a smile. She smiled back and nodded.

“Thanks, nice memory!” She replied, taking a sip. Ahhh, perfection. Harry only shrugged, a smirk gliding across his face. She rolled her eyes, knowing that she just boosted his already large ego. They shifted into casual conversation, talking about the weather, the music being played, and the books they’re both reading until they got bored.

Witty exchange with Charlie was exactly what Harry needed to brighten his day, only he’d wished that talking to her could be more free. He had to hold himself back from flirting with her, especially after his confrontation with Jack that morning. Looking across the table at her, he sighed internally. She was gorgeous: her hair shone even in the dim light of the cafe, and the green in the brown of her eyes sparkled whenever she had something clever to say. But it was her mannerisms that really got him: she twirled her hair around her hands before repositioning it, her long dark eyelashes half covered her eyes when she took a sip of her coffee, she always listened carefully and then thought a response out fully before replying. Although she was putting up a confident front, he could tell that it was hard for her and that she was secretly shy. Just like Jack said, she was vulnerable.

It was well past 7 by the time they’d finished their third rounds of coffee and tea, and Charlie still hadn’t asked Harry about his and Jack’s irate exchange the night before.

It bothered her, if her two friends couldn’t get along, then what would she do? She couldn’t ask Jack, he’d be rude and not even answer her. She could ask Harry because he would be honest, but did she really want to know the answer? She thought maybe it could have just been her imagination, it was late at night and Jack’s always cranky when it’s past 10:30. That’s what it was, he’d just made a bad first impression. Jack has never been good making friends, and that’s exactly what happened the night before. She’d convinced herself of it, now she didn’t have to worry about what awkward exchange could happen if she’d asked Harry.

“What comes after letter ‘S’ in the alphabet, Charlie?” He asked, smiling and breaking her from her thoughts. She thought about it, going through the alphabet song in her head.

“T.” She replied. His eyes lit up as he stood, taking their mugs.

“Ooh, yes please!” Harry snickered, “More coffee, Charles?” She laughed and nodded.

“No espresso this time, though, please,” She gave him her best child-like grin. He smiled and went to order. She checked her phone for any messages, there were none. Harry’s though, had been buzzing all night. He came back with two scones and their drinks, plopping down in the chair across from Charlie with a sigh.

“I hope you don’t mind, my tummy was rumbling and I figured yours might be too.” He breathed, shyly. She nodded and took the scone from him, smiling.

“Yeah, thank you so much, Harry.” She propped her elbow on the table, then set her chin in her hand. Harry mimicked her, and they smiled at each other.

“So, tell me, you are a world famous boy-bander turned tattooist, is that what you’ve always strived to be?” She asked, picking apart her scone and looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

He nodded, “I made all the money I ever needed and more by doing what I loved, and I guess thought I would be doing that for much longer than 7 years, so when we split up, I decided to come back to London.” He took a sip of his tea then a bite of his scone. “They wouldn’t let me stay in Los Angeles very long,” he teased and then continued, “That was my favorite place to be, and that’s where I found my love for tattooing, not just tattoos.” Harry rubbed his arm, drawing Charlie’s attention to the dark ink covering it. “When I came back, I lived with my mum for a while and then I moved in with my sister and her boyfriend. I had already sold both of my houses in London, I didn’t want the extra debt, just in case. We’ve always all been close, so it’s not such a big deal that I’m still taking over their second room. I should probably get my own place, but I really like living in the neighborhood. While I lived with mum, I asked Will if I could partner with him, since I’d been doing some tattoos for him once in a while and I was a good customer. He said yeah and I’ve been working with him for about 5 and a half years.”

Charlie nodded, she’d been listening intently while sipping her coffee and nibbling on her scone. Harry sighed, his spiel now over, and did the same. Charlie was still eyeing his tattoos, the one arm being completely filled, a full sleeve, while the other arm was only a half sleeve. She wondered where else his ink wandered, knowing that a lot of hers were not visible.

“For a while, I wanted to be a tattoo artist,” Charlie sighed, running the fingers of her left hand over the small tattoos on her right hand. She had a small twisting vine going up her pinky and a skinny knot spun around the first knuckle of her index finger.

“Those are cool,” Harry replied, taking her tattooed hand into his and inspecting it. There was a zing when he touched her, a passionate energy sparking between them.

“I like them because it gives me an excuse not to wear jewellery,” She whispered, surprised by his touch, “It makes my hands feel heavy.”

He smiled, “You’re weird.” She only shrugged, and he patted her hand before giving it back.

“Okay, Jack, which one?” Charlie asked, holding up two DVD cases. What If, Charlie’s favorite and Sleepless in Seattle, Jack hated both. She’d just gotten home from ‘the library’, Harry’s codename until she felt comfortable telling Jack about her and Harry’s friendship. Jack was sprawled across the couch, his ruffled hair flopping in his face and smirk poking through the tawny color of his beard. She wondered what Harry would look like with a beard, then kicked herself for thinking about him when her...her what?...her lover? She threw that thought aside.

He shrugged, “Neither. Let’s go to bed.” He smirked, walking towards his bedroom and pulling his shirt off on the way. Charlie glared even though he couldn’t see her, and put What If into the player. She’d already made herself popcorn and had a water bottle of wine next to her, so she was set. It still bothered her that she didn’t know if it was a one-night stand turned into a few nights, or if it was the real thing.

“Bug?” Jack called from down the hall.

“What?”

“Are you coming?” The opening credits started rolling, the familiar notes and tunes playing. She hummed along.

“No.”

“But, Buggie,” He whined, padding out from his bedroom to the couch where Charlie was.

“I wanted to watch this, and you said you didn’t want to, so I’m watching it by myself.” She protested, crossing her arms after pausing the movie. He knelt down so their eyes were at the same level. His eyebrows scrunched when she looked at him blankly, that wasn’t like her.

“What’s wrong?”

“What are we? Jack?” She asked, hesitantly from under her eyelashes. He should have known that’s what was going on, she always wants to know where she stands.

“I thought we made it pretty clear when we spent the morning together,” He sighed.

“Apparently not, because I’m lost.”

“Don’t be mad at me Charlie,” Jack sighed again, rubbing his beard then pushing his hair back, “Jesus. I was going to ask you better, but now since you’re like forcing me-”

“I’m not forcing you into doing anything, Jack.” She interrupted. He shook his head and moved to sit on the couch with her, while taking her hands in his.

“Charlotte Diane, will you be my girlfriend?” He asked, opening her hands and kissing her palms.

“I suppose,” She agreed sarcastically, giggling.

He laughed with her, and leaning in, kissed her lips softly.  

Jack kept her home later for their one month anniversary, which stressed her out. On top of that she hadn’t heard from Harry since their last meeting in the coffee place, which made her sad. Of course, though, she didn’t have time to notice because Jack was always all over her as soon as she got home from work. He always wanted her to make dinner, and when she did, it was never right. That morning she made breakfast and apparently had not made scrambled eggs right. Is there even a right way to make scrambled eggs? He made her change then too, because her outfit was too ‘slutty for a girl that had a boyfriend’. He was right though, the skirt was way too short. The other stuff she just dealt with, because Jack would always be Jack.

There was no way, she thought, that the day could get any worse. First, she missed her train, then she was late to the office meeting.  Walking to her desk, she tossed her tote and lunch box under her chair. Flopping down in that same chair, she sighed. The outfit she’d thrown on in a hurry wasn’t working for her either. The long, dark pencil skirt and cable knit crop she’d paired with her favorite red-backed heels combo was too tight and constricting, needless to say, she was very very uncomfortable.

“Charlie?” A man’s voice whispered from behind her. Spinning too quickly and startling them both, she sent things flying. The box of Chinese food he’d been holding hurtled to the side and right onto her desk, toppling over her vase of fake flowers and sending pencils rolling. Although it happened quickly, they both saw everything appear in slow motion.

Harry smiled and bent to get some of the pencils that had rolled onto the floor, “No need to get excited, love, it’s just me.” He teased.

“Oh honey, if you think that was something, you should see me when I’m actually excited.” Charlie sassed, taking the pencils from him and putting them back in their home. George, Charlie’s boss: a small man but big on charisma and body hair, walked by as they started to giggle.

“Charlotte,” He called as he passed, getting their attention quickly, “take Mr. Styles out to lunch and be ready to work when you get back!” She knew what George was hinting at: get him out of here and be back before 4, and he’d probably have her work overtime. He’d done the same thing with almost any coworker who had an unexpected guest, Charlie just never thought it would be her.

“Yeah, Charlotte,” Harry teased, putting an emphasis on Charlotte. She waved him off and led him out of her office and onto the London streets.

Charlie worked in the middle of London, close to all the tourist sites like Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, perfect for her and Harry to find something to do. They wandered to West End, amidst other Londoners and tourists stopping for a bite to eat, all the while playfully arguing about what they would eat. Harry had his heart set on Chinese food, as that was what he’d brought Charlie in the first place, but Charlie wanted Pasties.

Laughing and elbowing Harry, Charlie whined, “I am still a tourist! British man, please, for the love of all that is good! The pasties!”

He laughed with her and almost pulled her into his side for a hug but caught himself before he did.

“Okay,” Harry sighed, “We can go wherever you’d like if you tell me more about you,” She glared at him, he’d found her dark place. She groaned then punched his shoulder, much harder than she had intended to and flinched for him. Grinning, he ran his hand through his hair then rubbed his arm, because damn, she hit hard.

Once they’d gathered their lunches, they strolled along amongst the masses of people enjoying the day while it wasn’t raining, and made their way to the nearest park. Finding a bench that wasn’t occupied or covered in bird poop, they sat.

“Tell me everything Charlie, don’t spare any details,” Harry nudged her, both of their mouths full of food. She nodded and decided to start from the beginning.

She hadn’t seen her family in 6 years, and didn’t have any reason to. When she left for college, her parents called once a month, even though her college campus was 10 minutes away from her childhood home, where they still lived. It had always been the 4 of them until her older brother left for the army when she was 10, and never came back. It was then, when she was 10, that they started to ignore her, only paying her attention when she accidentally left foot prints on the floor or if she stayed up too late. Looking back on it, she should have known that eventually they would leave her stranded, too selfish to give love to their only child. It helped the decision to travel abroad and find a better home, especially because she had no reason to stay. It was in her sophomore year of college in the States that she traveled abroad, then got back and received her Visa, then moved back right away. She hadn’t spoken to her parents since she told them 3 years ago that she was moving to London. They hadn’t wished her luck, or even told her that they loved her, they just told her not to expect them to pay for anything. Charlotte had been her grandmother’s name, the only person she’d kept in contact with since she left, but even that was only on holidays and birthdays.

She hadn’t realized she was crying until she felt Harry’s arm around her, bringing her comfort.

“I’m so sorry, Charlie,” He whispered into her hair, “I wouldn’t have asked if I would have known.” He was smoothing her hair with one hand while the other was around her waist, and she shook her head.

“No, I’m glad I finally told someone,” She sighed, finally looking at him. His face was so close, their noses practically touching.

“Charlie?” A man was behind them, and they both turned. Harry’s arms dropped back to his own sides, it was Jack. “What the fuck, Styles?” He shouted. Both Harry and Charlie leaped up, equally surprised and scared by his outburst.  They all stood looking at each other.

Charlie spoke first, “We were just out for lunch, Jack, it’s no big de-”

“No Charlie, it is!” He aimed his glare at her, making her flinch.

“Hey,” Harry growled, “Don’t talk to her like that.”

“You can stay out of it.” Jack snapped, frowning at Harry. “Didn’t I tell you to do that already? Obviously you don’t listen very well, just like old times. Do you need to be taught again?” He gave Harry a menacing glare, curling and uncurling his fists, “I’ll gladly-”

“Let it go,” Harry ordered, “We can handle this differently-” Harry stepped towards Jack as he got cut off.

“Yeah, Charlie go to work, let me talk to Harry, alone.” Jack spat, his fists were balled at his sides.

“Jack, enough,” Charlie cut him off. She turned to Harry, “Maybe you should go, I can handle him.” She whispered. Harry looked at her warily with eyes wide with worry.

“Are you sure, Charlie? I don’t want you to get hurt.” He whispered back, leaning towards her. She nodded and Jack went on, his snarl more threatening than before.

“I would never hurt her. You on the other hand. Definitely.”

“Jack, shut up.” Charlie spun, effectively cutting him off and surprising him with her tone. She stepped closer to Harry, feeling safer nearer to him rather than being out in the open. Harry protectively put his arm around her, and she noticed she was shaking. “You’re going to be nice to him, you two are the only friends I have,” Jack started to say something but she cut him off with a despising look. “We can talk about this later, but I’m going back to work.” She pulled Harry with her, knowing Jack would follow and try to convince her otherwise. She didn’t slow down until they were out of the park, and Jack wasn’t pursuing them anymore. Keeping Harry’s hand in hers, she stopped.

“Harry, I’m so sorry.” She sighed, looking up at him. He smiled a sad smile, released her hand and brushed a stray hair away from her face. She noticed things about him now that she hadn’t noticed before: his eyes were light green and almost blue, his lips were shaped perfectly and the most wonderful shade of pink, and although he was a good foot taller than she was, he always leaned down so that they never lost eye-contact. God, he was intense.

“It’s okay, love,” He whispered, shifting his weight from foot to foot, then cradling her face between his hands, he kissed her forehead. “If you ever need anything, I’m only a phone call away, remember that.” She nodded, then stepped closer and settled herself into his chest, hugging him tightly. Feeling his arms wrap around her, his hand in her hair and his chin on top of her head, she felt so much better.

Not hearing from her killed him.Where was she? Was Jack the reason behind her silence? He didn’t want to wait another day without talking to her, it’d already been 27. Scrolling through his messages he texted her once, just a simple hi. And then suddenly his screen flashed, and she was calling him.

“Charlie?” Harry answered, knowing it was her but still overwhelmed that she was calling him.

“I have Iron & Wine tickets for tonight, wanna go?” She responded, not even giving him a hello first. Ugh, he gushed internally, it was so good to hear her voice again. It had been too long.

“Love to.” He replied, smiling. Getting up, he wandered around his sister’s house listening to Charlie give him the details. He was sitting upside-down on the couch tampering with a lampshade when she finally finished.

“Okay, got it?” Charlie asked, giggling with enthusiasm. He would never get used to how adorable her laugh was. It matched her beautiful face and personality.

“Yes,” Harry laughed. “Where have you been, love? I’ve missed you.” He sighed. Over the line, on the other side, she sighed too. It was Jack.

“I’ve missed you too,” Charlie confessed, melancholy. “I’ve been super busy but I’ll see you in an hour so get ready! Meet me at the Tube!” She squealed, getting excited again.

Walking down the street towards the station, Charlie felt great. It took her about 57 years to find what she wanted to wear but she finally settled with her basic-night-out outfit: dark ripped skinny jeans, nude high heels and a fitted long-sleeved black top. She spotted Harry before he saw her, what with his long dark curls and tall lanky stature, he was easy to find in a crowd. Charlie noticed he was in his typical Harry outfit, skinny jeans and gray knit pullover. Smiling as she got closer, he turned and saw her. God, he thought, she’s so beautiful.

“Took you long enough!” He teased, enveloping her in a hug when they were close enough. Giggling against his chest, she swatted at his back.

“Oh shut up, Harold.” She pulled his hand as they unwound from each other’s arms, leading him onto the train.

The train was crowded, just as Charlie had thought it would be, a typical weekend night in London. Neither of them said a word but remained close together on the way into the teeming center of the city.

The silence between them continued as Harry led her to the small bar where the show was, but neither of them minded the quiet. It gave Charlie the chance to think about what Jack said before he left for the weekend, ‘If you love me, perhaps you’ll get food for us and even go for a run while I’m gone, thanks babe. You’re the greatest’. She didn’t get it, she always ran or rode her bicycle in the morning. There was something going on with him, and she just couldn’t figure it out. He made her feel safe and whole, almost 5 times better than Jack did. But why was that? She was over-thinking her relationship with Jack, or maybe just being insecure. That’s why she desperately needed this night with Harry, he always helped her clear her head just by being there.

Her index finger was entwined with Harry’s pinky finger while they found their way to the pub, Harry flashed their tickets at the guy outside and then they were in.

The place was dimly lit and smelled of smoke and liquor, although smoking inside wasn’t allowed. Making their way through the tall tables and pub patrons, they found a corner spot near the stage where they sat and made themselves comfortable.

Harry watched her sit, and then watched as she warily scanned the place and the people in it. She fiddled with the napkins and salt shakers in front of her, then went back to people watching, Harry observing her the whole time. He noticed that her hair was blonde at the roots again, that she was wearing a darker shade of makeup than normal, that she must have freshly painted her nails because there was little smudges around the outsides of them. He sighed internally when she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and then again when she scanned the pub while biting her lip.

“So,” Harry smiled, breaking the silence. Charlie turned to him, eyes expectant. “I didn’t tell you earlier, but you look beautiful.”

Her eyes widened, “Thank you,” She blushed and glanced at her knees then looked at him from under her eyelashes, “You do too.” They blinked at each other as that sunk in and his smile turned into a smirk as her blush deepened, “Well, not beautiful but you know what I mean.”

“What? I’m not beautiful, Charlie?” He smirked, then patted her cheek as she turned away. She snatched his hand away from his face and plopped it under hers on the table top. He smirked, knowing that he was pushing her buttons. They sat like that, her hand over his, for a while; the artist was setting up, so they were waiting for the music to start. Simultaneously, they both propped their chins on their hands, their elbows propped on the table. He glanced at her sideways, smirking at the big eyed innocent face she made when she was unaware he was studying her.

He mostly watched her the whole night, the pure happiness and joy that played across her face as the music played made everything in life seem right. He only took his eyes off her when she glanced at him, but that was hardly ever. She swayed along with the music while mouthing the lyrics, not actually singing but wishing she was. Charlie knew she didn’t have a good enough voice to sing in public without embarrassing herself.

“I’ll be right back,” Charlie said, getting up and going to the restroom. Looking at herself in the dingy mirror, again she thought about what Jack told her before he left. She just didn’t get it. She dyed her roots to match because he said he didn’t want his parents meeting a slob, and when she did meet his family they were nothing but nice to her even though he said that they thought she wasn’t good enough for him. Glancing once more in the mirror before leaving, she fluffed her hair and wiped at any smudges under her eyes.

She sighed and tripped over her own shoe, launching herself back into the smoke and liquor smelling bar room. There was a line of grungy men standing outside the restrooms and ducking her head, she tried to make her way past them. Feeling their gazes follow her, she tried to be calm. The feeling of nausea was too strong.  Glancing across the room to see Harry still at their table, she ambled over to the bar and ordered a beer for each of them, hoping he wouldn’t mind.Suddenly, there was a heat behind her, much much too close. The man in line behind her belched a hot stench of vodka’ed breath in her direction. She flinched and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Anxiously, she looked in all directions for the bartender, who was nowhere to be seen. The man behind her was practically on top of her, his weight pressed against her butt. Not looking to see who the man was, she stiffened as a grubby hand moved up her leg and nearer and nearer to her crotch.

“Don’t be like that love,” A gruff voice whispered, right next to her ear. She flinched again, her eyes cringing shut. It took everything she had not to scream as the hand made its way over her butt and up to her waist. Terrified and panicked, she didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t move. Almost as soon as the hand made its way to her front, all of a sudden it was gone.

She turned, Harry was standing over a man, presumably the guy who’d felt her up. As his fist went into the air, the hysteria from the awful moment hit her like a brick. Hearing her gasping for air, Harry stopped.

Instinctively, she ran to him. Colliding into his familiar, warm, cozy chest, she felt better. Instantly, the warmth of his hands were on her back, hugging her tightly and then the prick of tears came.

“I’m so sorry, love,” He whispered, smoothing her hair and holding her closer. Taking her chin into his hand and angling it up towards him, so their eye-contact was constant, he searched her eyes for some sort of fear or terror, but only saw the blur of tears. It broke his heart, seeing Charlie that way. They needed to get out of there, and fast.

“Let’s go, Charlie,” Harry breathed, and she nodded.

Walking hand in hand, it didn’t feel weird for Charlie, even though she had Jack, Harry was like her protector. Jack would have beat the shit out of that man, for his own ego, but Harry only cared about her safety. Harry held her close the whole way home, letting her cry a little while they sat on the mostly empty train. With his arm around her, she didn’t feel as upset. They moped to Charlie’s place with his hand on the small of her back.

“Do you wanna come in?” She asked, unlocking the door and looking back at him. He looked so innocent and pure, standing on her front stairs with the only light shining on them being the street lamp from across the road. His hair made a halo framing his angled jaw and cheekbones, his eyes still gleaming even in the darkness. He smiled and nodded, following her in.

Stepping over the threshold, Charlie’s home was nothing like he expected. The furnishings were all mis-matched, not at all Charlie’s style, a mix of her furniture and Jack’s.

“What?” She asked, noticing that he’d stopped in the middle of the entry way. He looked at her, feeling awkward.

“It’s not at all what I expected, like knowing you I thought there’d be more flowers and stuffed animals scattered about.” He teased.

“Oh, yeah, I put all that stuff away.” She replied sarcastically. Following her into the kitchen, he passed pictures of Jack and Charlie in the hallway: one of them at the Eiffel Tower, one of them at University, one of them in New York City, and lastly one of them at Jack’s family’s Chamore, their cottage in the country. That one really caught his attention, he stood there for a while, staring at it with his hands in his pockets.

“We were just there two weeks ago,” Charlie whispered from right next to him, he flinched. Harry laughed, he hadn’t heard her come by. She handed him a glass and poured him some wine.

“How was it?” Harry asked, referring to Charlie and Jack’s trip to Chamore. She shrugged, not willing to share anything. He nodded.

Then he jumped, grinning then leaned a little closer and said, “Have you watched What If recently?” Harry smiled as the look in her eyes went from wary to joy in a matter of seconds.

“Yes, but it’s my favorite movie, can we watch it?” She asked, giddy. He nodded and she practically dragged him to the couch, then plopped in the movie.

“This is probably the only romantic comedy I can stomach,” Harry admitted, running his fingers through his hair. Charlie giggled, curling up into a ball by his side as he wrapped his arm around her. Then that’s how they fell asleep. When she woke up though, he was gone, a note left on the coffee table in front of her explaining that he had a client early that morning. She smiled, she was starting to like Harry more and more.

“Love bug! I’m home!” Jack called, coming in the door. Charlie came running and leaped to hug him, blonde hair and colors flying through the air at him. Smiling, he ran his hand through her hair, bringing her lips to his.

“Mhmm, I’ve missed you!” She sighed, smiling. A smile tugging at his face, he agreed. She pulled at the hairs on his beard, tickling him, then kissed him again.

“I’ve missed you too, baby girl.” Jack smiled, taking her hand as she led him to the kitchen where a candlelit dinner was prepared. She glanced up at him expectantly, but then followed his eyes to gaze at her masterpiece. Two candles and flower petals adorned the covered table, a large plate full of Jack’s favorite food: prawn curry, vegetable stuffed peppers, and fruits made up the centerpiece.

“Bug,” Jack beamed, “You did this for me?” He admired the tiny woman standing next to him, taking in all of her beauty at that second. Charlie stared up at him, a huge smile taking up her face, and nodded.

“You’re a goddess, buggie.” He chuckled and kissed her forehead, before tugging her along to sit across from him at their dining table. She started putting food onto her plate, and he gazed at her, realizing again how lucky he was to have found the perfect person for him. He needed to marry her, that was the only thing he could think of to make this any better. Charlotte Diane Wilson, it just sounded right. That’s the first thing, he thought, that he was going to do the next day. Find the perfect girl the perfect ring. It had only been 4 official months of them dating, but they’d known each other for years. He was ready.

“Jack?” Charlie leaned in and waved a hand in front of his face, regaining his attention.

“Oh, I’m sorry love,” He smiled, taking a filled pepper and then cluttering his plate with food. “Hey bug,” He questioned, a few minutes later, after eating in silence, she looked up at him expectantly, her dark brown eyes wary. “When would you like to go on holiday to your grandmothers?”

“Jack! Are you serious?” She squealed, he knew how much she missed her gran, and seeing her that happy made him elated.

“Of course I’m serious, you goose, when do you want to go?” He grinned as she flew out of her chair and coddled his head to her chest.

“As soon as I can get work off! Ohmygosh, let me go call her, I’ll be right back!” Charlie gushed, dashing out of the kitchen to the living room. Leaning back in his chair, Jack smirked, then dialed his mum.

“Hey mum...no, there’s nothing wrong, I was just wondering if you still had the ring that dad gave you when you got engaged...Yes it’s for Charlie...Okay thanks mummy, I’ll pick it up next weekend. I’m taking her to her grandmother’s soon, that’s when I’ll do it...Love you too. Give my love to dad and Poppy.”

“Was that your mom?” Charlie asked, coming around the corner back into the kitchen. Jack nodded, hoping she didn’t hear the conversation, he played it off by tossing a piece of banana into his mouth.

“When can I meet Poppy? I know she was busy, but I’d love to meet your sister.” Charlie said, tossing a pepper piece in her mouth. Embarrassed that she spilled that much feelings, since she knew that there was bad history between Jack and his sister.

“Tell you what, bug, next time we go to Chamore, Poppy will be there,” He comforted, patting her hand.

“Thanks, Jack,” She smiled, taking in his long, ashy blonde hair that was strewn across his forehead, and his piercing blue eyes gazing at her from under bushy eyebrows that fit his perfect, broad face.

“I love you, Charlie.” He sighed, smiling slightly while running a finger along the side of her cheek. She held his hand to her cheek, cherishing its warmth.

“I love you too, Jack.”

“Charles,” Harry smiled, opening the door to the shop for her. He was just on his way out, taking a break for the day.

“Hi, Harold,” Charlie smiled back, walking in. Will caught her eye from across the room and waved her over, ready to get to work.

“What’s it going to be?” Will asked, pulling out his sketches. Watching her from across the room, she was pulling off her jacket, Charlie only had a flowy sleeveless top on with her dark jeans, her arm and back tattoos were flaunted. Harry sighed, knowing that she was unattainable but admiring her beauty anyway.

She sat down and took Will’s sketches onto her lap, inspecting each one. He knew that the new ink would be an addition to an already existing piece that Charlie had on her right shoulder, it was only a simple sparrow flying by itself, and this new ink would add a few more flying friends inside a mehndi inspired elephant. He’d drawn one himself, hoping that he might be able to help with her decision.

This time, instead of 3 options, Charlie had 5. There was one that immediately caught her attention, distinctly a little different than the other 4.

“Ah, you like that one?” Will asked, looking over her shoulder at the sketches. She nodded looking up at him. “Why don’t you just have Harry do all of your work now?” He teased, waving Harry over.

“I think you gained a new client,” Charlie informed him when he came to see what was up. Harry looked from Will to Charlie, then back again.

“Erhm, what?” He asked. Will pulled out Harry’s elephant sketch and handed it to him.

“Charlie always likes yours better,” Will fake whined. He patted Harry’s shoulder then scampered off to help someone that had just come through the doors.

“Let’s get started, yeah?” Harry asked, sitting down. Charlie nodded then moved and positioned herself the way Harry told her to. He watched as she pulled her hair up into a bun on the top of her head, revealing the tattoos on the back of her neck.

“What’s new love?” He asked, already settled and ready to start. Once Charlie was ready, he started.

“Well, nothing, what about you?” She sighed, when he was getting more ink. She listened intently as he told her about getting a cat, funny thing for him to do because he felt like getting a pet was an adult thing. Eventually he trailed off and she let him work in silence.

****  
  


When she walked in the door, she knew something was off. The furniture was all in the right place, the curtains were closed just like Jack liked them, but it didn’t feel right. She was a little late getting home, arriving at 8 instead of 7 like usual.

“Jack?” She called, rounding the corner into the kitchen.

He was in the kitchen, his back to her. Smelling the food being made on the stove, she went to her closet to change.

It had been a long day, she realized. George gave someone else the promotion she’d wanted, Will called earlier to tell her that he had to reschedule her next tattoo appointment because he had to go back home for a funeral (which, she felt bad but she was excited to get another tattoo), and when she had just gotten on the Tube on her way home, she remembered that she didn’t punch out. She thought about all of this as she changed into her favorite pair of sweatpants and throwing on a random t-shirt to go with.

Wandering back into the kitchen, Jack was nowhere to be found. On the table, though, a solitary plate piled with spaghetti sat.

“Jack?” She called again, turning to go look for him. A fleck of yellow caught her eye as she was walking into the hallway, a post-it was stuck to his door. ‘Don’t bother coming in’ was scrawled in his handwriting. Confused and a little hurt, Charlie took the plate of spaghetti from their kitchen table and brought it into her room, closing the door behind her.

Feeling bad that she didn’t try to see what was wrong, an hour later Charlie tip-toed across the hall to Jack’s room. She twisted the doorknob, but it only turned halfway. He locked her out.

“Jack,” She whined, tapping on the door, “What’s wrong? Talk to me!” She continued tapping, figuring that he would respond. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the door frame, still tapping. If being annoying wouldn’t make him come out, it would make him mad, which would make him come out. She was right, he flung the door open so suddenly and harshly that she stumbled right into his room.

“You’re only making this worse, Charlie.” He said in a monotone voice. She picked herself up off the floor and followed him as he made his way to the couch.

“What are you talking about?” She asked, not knowing that there was a problem to begin with.

“You’re causing a problem by making one up, so go back to your room like a recluse and stay there for once.” He snapped. That hit her where it hurt.

“That was mean,” Charlie replied, wiping at her eyes and going back to her room.

“Yeah well, welcome to the world sweetheart,” He sighed deeply, ignoring her tears, “You always have to have the last word, don’t you?” Jack scoffed, running his hand through his hair and turning on the TV. He pissed her off so much, she didn’t even know what to say.

“Yeah, that’s a good girl! Do exactly what daddy says, just like the little bitch you are.” He shouted, and she slammed the door behind her.

“Fuck you.” She muttered. But he heard her, and that enraged him even more. Dialing Harry’s number, the tears rolled down her face in waves. She hoped he would answer, they hadn’t really spoken in two weeks, just once after he’d given her the elephant tattoo. She couldn’t believe how mean Jack was being. Jack’s incoherent speaking turned to yelling as her fingers trembled.

“Answer, please answer.” She whimpered. Harry picked up on the second ring.

“Charlie? Is everything okay?” He asked, his raspy voice coming over the line. She shook her head, the tears still coming. Jack started yelling again, but it was muffled by her closed door. No doubt, Harry could hear it on the other end.

“No. Can I stay with you tonight?” She whispered, throwing work clothes and her wallet into a bag. Jack’s yelling voice was getting louder, which meant he was coming closer.

“Yes, Charlie of course,” Harry said, it sounded like he was moving quickly. “I’ll be right there, make sure he doesn’t hurt you, love.”

“Okay.” She whispered, knowing that she couldn’t possibly protect herself from Jack, he was much heavier and larger than she was. He was still yelling, obscenities being the only things that made sense. “Please hurry.”

“I’m almost there, is the front door unlocked?” He asked, she heard his feet hitting the pavement hard.

“Yeah,” She said, zipping her bag closed and putting on shoes. Thanking God she’d changed in her room when she got home. Jack was standing outside her door, pounding on it so hard that it shook.

“Charlie, Jesus Christ! Open the fucking door!”

“I’m here, honey, I’ll take care of it.” Harry comforted, and he hung up. She heard the front door fly open and then Jack scream ‘what the fuck’. Hearing his footsteps retreat to the front room, she whipped her bedroom door open and ran into the room where the two men were, pulling on Harry. Looking at them, Harry was taller but Jack had more muscle.

“You’re not taking her anywhere!” Jack was yelling.

“She needs to be safe!” Harry replied, equally as loud. He followed Charlie out the door, backwards though, so he could keep an eye on Jack.

Stepping over the threshold, hand in hand they started sprinting down the street. The only sounds Charlie could hear was her heart beating and the matching pounding of their feet on the concrete. Once they’d rounded the corner, she realized she had no idea where they were going. Harry looked over at her as she slowed, and they stopped at the same time.

“It’s just this way,” He said, leading her. They walked past the road for the Tube station, going farther into the wealthier part of Parsons Green. It was only four blocks down from Charlie’s place when he tugged her towards a white brick mews house, perfectly placed between two colorful homes similar to his.  

“You live with your sister here?” Charlie asked, looking up at Harry. He shook his head.

“I was going to tell you but never really found the right time, but I moved out about two weeks ago,” He smiled, glancing at her and seeing her listening intently, “I could have really used your help but you were MIA.”

“I wish I could have helped,” She sighed. He hip-nudged her, telling her that it was okay without words. Harry took the first steps up, it was only two little stairs lined with little flower pots.

“Growing some flowers, love?” She asked, teasingly.

“Just some herbs for cooking,” He replied, unlocking the front door.

She followed him up the stairs, and when he opened it, inside was nothing like she expected. She’d been expecting dark woods, leather furniture, and sports team decor but instead was greeted with tall ceilings and white walls.

The room they’d walked into was the kitchen and dining room. While following Harry, Charlie quickly scanned the rooms they passed: the kitchen was large and spacious, with white countertops and stainless steel appliances, high cabinets with glass doors and gray dishes perfectly arranged inside, and a grand sized light wood island connected the dining room which was also spacious, with a  long and sleek industrial-styled table surrounded by gray plush chairs. She was busy investigating the rooms that they were passing that she didn’t notice that Harry had led her to the stairs, tripping over the first step caught both of their attentions. She blushed, embarrassed, as he turned around to see what was happening, his brow scrunched.

It gave him a deja-vu feeling when he saw her, gaping at him, her eyes wide and mouth forming a perfect “o”. Sat on the first step, she pouted. Stepping back down to where she was, he sat on the stair.

“I just tripped, Harry,” She blurted, crossing her arms, “I don’t need any help.”

He nodded, smirking, “I know, go ahead and look around, I’ll bring your stuff up to your room.” He said, sticking a hand out for the bag she held.

Walking back into the kitchen, admiring the furnishings and finishes, she ambled towards the huge sliding glass doors that led out to a courtyard garden. Metal bistro chairs were stationed near a matching table, Charlie opened the doors and wandered to sit in one of the chairs. The sky was cloudless, stars sparkling down at her from lightyears away.

“Did you ever think anything could be so beautiful?” Harry asked, startling her. Looking over at him, she noticed he’d changed into sweatpants and a hoodie. He took the chair across the table from her, handing her a blanket on the way, then gazing up at the stars. She still hadn’t looked away from him, he was pretty in the dim light of night. His shoulder-length ringlets hung loosely around his face, his angular jawline pointed towards the sky.

“No I didn’t,” She whispered, looking up again.

He sighed, knowing that she didn’t think he was referring to her.

Waking up the next morning, she forgot where she was and how she’d gotten there. Sunlight streamed in from a wide window above her and the bed she was lying in was large, probably a king size, which was covered with four different blankets: alternating between baby blue and cream. Pillows were cradling her close, matching the blue and cream of the quilts. She smiled, looking across the room at the stainless steel desk with a cozy-looking arm chair next to it, where the clothes she packed were laid out so that they wouldn’t be wrinkled. A small purr from behind the pillows alarmed her, but then she remembered Harry telling her about the cat he’d just gotten. Crawling over to the kitten, she smiled. It was puny, barely larger than a shoe, and totally perfect. Looking up at her with its big blue eyes, it practically begged to be cuddled.A soft knock came from the door, so she had to put the cuddling on hold.

The bed was settled into a nook, so when she crawled across it, the door and closet were to her right, whereas the desk and chair were only a few steps away. Padding over to the door, it was already ajar, but Harry stood patiently behind it. Charlie smiled, opening it all the way and letting him in. He was in the sweatpants he’d been wearing the night before, but instead of a hoodie, he was wearing a simple white t-shirt. He smiled coming over the threshold, not wanting to intrude too much.

“I was just looking for Paddy, I’m glad you have her,” He smiled, motioning to the kitty nestled in the pillows of Charlie’s claimed bed.

“She’s a little cuddler,” Charlie smiled, watching her. Harry nodded next to Charlie, also watching his cat.

“I love it, it’s perfect for me because so am I,” He confided, shoving his hands in his pockets and glancing at Charlie sideways. Her hair was a mess, all knots and straggly, thanks to the pillows she’d slept with. He smirked, glad he’d chosen this room for her rather than the one with the silk pillows and blankets.

“Me too,” Charlie confessed. She looked up at him, his intense crystal green eyes were gazing back at her, a smile playing on his lips. She smiled up at him and walking into his side, he was hugging her. Running his hand over her hair, he felt her tighten she arms around his waist, pulling him tighter. Settling his chin on top of her head, he closed his eyes and enjoyed her warmth. She was vulnerable and soft and so incredibly beautiful, he felt her nose nuzzle into his chest and he squeezed her tighter. She gripped the back of his t-shirt in her fist, taking in his smell. He was so perfect, why hadn’t she noticed before?

Loosening their hug, almost simultaneously, they backed away from each other.

“Want breakfast, beautiful?” Harry asked, pulling up Paddy from the pillows and carrying her like a baby out the door. Charlie nodded and smiled, getting her glasses out of the backpack she’d brought.

Following Harry out, she realized that she didn’t know where in the house she was. She took in the scenes they passed, walking out of her room, they were in a long hallway, with a door at one end and a spiral staircase at the other. They passed three closed doors, all white with immaculate crown molding around each one. The floor they were sauntering across was a dark hardwood, also perfect. The walls and tall ceilings were painted a light shade of beige, complimenting the molding and floors. At the stairs, they had the option to go up, or to go down. Following him down, they descended into the kitchen and dining room that she’d seen the night before.

She settled at a stool, watching Harry diligently get started on breakfast. He had one of those fancy waffle makers: it reminded her of the ones that are usually in hotels. She had a mini flashback to her first week in London, she walked into her hotel’s breakfast buffet and the solitary waffle machine was the only thing she recognized. She also recognized now that Harry had no idea how to work the darn thing.

“Love, that’s not how it goes,” Charlie laughed, plugging in the machine and pouring the batter into its place on the grids. The maker Harry had was practically magic, the waffles were done within seconds. Glancing over, she noticed he’d already gotten plates and filled glasses with orange juice and mugs with coffee. He was also standing there, arms crossed, watching her intently. Definitely pouting.

“Are you sure you know how to cook?” Charlie teased, laughing when his pout increased.

“Are you saying I suck?” He countered, taking the first plate of waffles while Charlie poured another batch into the griddle.

“I mean, maybe...” She smirked. Harry rounded to the other side of the counter, still scrutinizing her waffle technique.

“C’mon Charlie, we’re supposed to be friends.” He whined.

“Oh, is this one of those times you want me to protect your delicate feelings, Harold?” She teased, turning off the machine and taking the stool next to him.

“Sorta,” He sniffed, faking. Charlie glanced at him sideways, his smirk couldn’t be hidden, no matter how hard he tried.

“Well, Harry,” She said, “As your friend, it is my duty to tell you. You suck.”

As she helped him clean up, he could feel a change in her. Something more comfortable, not shielded, completely and totally vulnerable. Finally, he thought, she’s opening up. While he was washing and she was drying dishes, all they did was talk. She was telling him about her job, all the work she had to do last week, piling and piling up on her. She was telling him that she was so distracted, and she had no idea why, but all she could think about was redecorating. Laughing, she said it was ridiculous because Jack would never let her redecorate. Of course he wouldn’t, Harry thought, he’s a controlling maniac that doesn’t want anything other than submission. Listening more to Charlie talk about redecorating, she was telling him what she wanted to do; Harry realized that he loved the way she talked: how some of her words had funny accents, not just because she was American, but where exactly she was from, and how she stopped in the middle of her sentences to take a breath because she was talking too fast.

“And, I mean, how cute would that be in our place? Because I just hate those floors, they’re the ugliest things ever.” She said, looking over at him, turning a towel around a mug. He nodded, pretending he remembered what her floors looked like.

“That’s all I have for dishes,” He motioned to the empty sink. She only nodded, putting away the mug and giving him the damp towel. “What would you like to do, we’ve got all day.” He smiled, shrugging.

“Oh shit, what day is it today?” Charlie asked, looking around for some sort of sign. He laughed, taking her hand and leading her back up the spiral stairs. Paddy sat at the bottom stair, glaring at them as they made their way upstairs.

“It’s Sunday,” He reminded her, “I was wondering why you picked those clothes, though. Do you work on Sunday?” She remembered the clothes she’d packed, a white silk top and black skin-tight dress pants, she’d even remembered to bring the nude peep-toe heels that she usually wore with that outfit. Why did she think she had to work?

Laughing, she shook her head, “No I don’t, I’m not sure what I was thinking when I packed. I’ll be fine in these clothes though,” She looked down at her favorite pair of gray joggers. They continued up the stairs to the reception room. This room, much like the rest of the house that Charlie had seen, was open and inviting. The walls were exposed brick, with one being taken up by a huge window that let in a lot of light. The room seemed to be sectioned into three pieces: one being taken up by a large, comfy-looking beige sectional that was facing a huge flat-screen TV, another section was being dominated by bookcases, while the last section was a desk surrounded with photos and papers. A guitar was hidden in the corner next to the desk, sheathed in crumpled paper.

Wandering over, Harry watched as Charlie gaped at his book collection. He smiled as she turned around, doe-eyed and jaw practically on the floor.

“Are these all of your books?” She asked, he nodded. “Are any of them like fake books, you know, the ones that look like books but are just decoration?” He shook his head, smiling.

“No, they’re all real. Go ahead, check them all,” He teased, as she ran her hand along the rows of spines.

A loud buzzing came over a speaker, making them both jump.

“Security systems, if you can’t keep someone out, they’ll scare the crap out of you anyway.” Harry joked, scampering down the spiral staircase, to the front door, three floors down. Paddy was sitting next to the door, pretending to be a guard cat, Harry thought. Looking through the peephole, he groaned. It was Jack.

“Jesus Christ, Styles, I know you’re right there,” Jack spat, crossing his arms. Harry felt eyes on him, and looked over to see Charlie frozen on the stairs. Putting a finger over her lips, she zipped them and threw away the key, and darted back up the stairs. He smiled, then braced himself and reluctantly opened the door.

“Let me see her.” Jack barged in, almost trampling poor little Paddy. Swooping her up, keeping his hands occupied, Harry sat on the base of the stairs.

“What if she doesn’t want to see you?” Harry asked, petting Paddy, her purrs being the only sounds for a minute while Jack contemplated that.

“Well, that’s too damn bad, she’s my fiance.” He said, squaring his shoulders. A sharp pain shocked Harry’s chest as that final word sunk in, why didn’t she tell him? “Yeah that’s right Styles. She’s mine forever now.”

His mind was racing, there wasn’t any way Jack was telling the truth. She didn’t tell him, that’s something that definitely comes up in conversation. She would have told him. His head hurt from thinking so fast, thinking about this morning and last night, she didn’t wear a ring? Did she? No, he was positive she didn’t.

“You’re a lying sack of shit!” Charlie shrieked. Harry turned, not knowing that she’d come out of her hiding place. She had thrown her hair up into a messy ponytail, her shirt was falling off her shoulder, and her glasses were sliding down her nose a little bit, but still she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Standing up, Harry glared at Jack. His body was blocking both of them from getting to each other, and he was glad for it. Charlie was huffing, extremely angry, and Jack was getting to that point too.

Then all of a sudden there was yelling.

“If you would think that I would marry you, after everything you’ve just put me through, Jack, God damn it, you’re wrong!” Charlie was screaming, “You’re so fucking wrong!”. Harry wanted to turn and hold her, but with Jack being so unstable, he knew that it wasn’t a good idea.

“You’re coming home, you can’t stay here!” Jack yelled back. Jack’s normally blue eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was a mess. There was no way he’d slept at all. “After everything I put YOU through? Charlie what about what you put ME through? What the fuck?”

Putting Paddy down, Harry watched as Jack’s eyes followed the kitten as it scurried up the stairs, away from the screaming, God knows that’s what Harry wanted to do.

“You only think of yourself.” Charlie stated, her voice hoarse. She came down another step, and put her hand on Harry’s back.

“Oh, please, and you don’t? Who’s always complaining about cooking and cleaning? Oh, that’s you.” Jack sneered, crossing and uncrossing his arms.

“Umm, who’s the only one that does that?” Charlie asked, “And okay, yes I complain about it, but who’s cheating on who, here? Oh yeah, that’s you.” She smirked as she watched the blood drain out of his face. Although it was nothing to be happy about, she was glad she’d found out when she did. Harry turned to her, his eyes wide, she only nodded and rolled her eyes.

“Charlie, no,” Jack whispered, almost whimpering, “That’s not what it was, I swear.”

She smirked, “You sure? Because I talked to, what’s her name upstairs, and she said she fucked you too. Imagine my surprise,” She said sarcastically as Jack was retreating, he knew he was defeated. “When she said that you had her in your bed the day after we got back from Chamore! Or, when I called your office to see where your hotel was on your ‘conference weekend’ that you had actually taken the weekend off!” She was mad, Harry could tell, but she was more hurt, that was obvious.

“Get the hell out of my house,” Harry said, pushing Jack.

“Charlie, buggie, you have to understand-” Jack pleaded, pushing Harry back, not with any real force.

“No. I was so in love with you that I chose to ignore it, and look where it got us,” She said, while Jack was still begging for forgiveness, but she kept talking over him. “No, fuck you, because I was so in love with you that I ignored how horribly you treated me, I was perfectly good enough before this. You ruined me, Jack Wilson. Leave me the hell alone.” She was crying, but Harry couldn’t comfort her. He turned to give her his hand, but she was gone, retreating up the stairs. Now was his chance to tell Jack how he really felt.

“You’re leaving now, don’t ever come back,” Harry said, pulling Jack’s arm and whipping him out the door. Jack, the confrontationist, didn’t even try to fight back. Running his hand through his hair, Harry forced himself not to kick the crap out of the poor man. Slamming the door in Jack’s face, Harry dashed up the stairs, determined to give Charlie the love she deserves.

He found her in her room, Paddy laying in the windowsill, keeping a watchful eye. Laying on her stomach, in the middle of all the pillows and blankets on the bed, she seemed so small.

“Charlie,” He whispered, climbing onto the bed next to her and rubbing her back. She turned her head to glance at Harry, tears streaming down her nose, then hid her face again, sobbing.

“Love, I’m so sorry,” He whispered, laying down but still running his hand in circles on her back.

“Me too,” She mumbled in between sobs.

They laid that way for a long time, he just let her cry.

“I told him to take his sorrys and shove them up his ass while he’s screwing the old woman upstairs. Then I also told him to make sure he sleeps with an eye open because I know super secret ninjas that come in at night and kill cheaters while they sleep.” He told her ear, not knowing if she was actually listening.

“You said that?” She asked, finally looking at him and rolling onto her side to face him. Her usual face was replaced by red eyes and a blotchy forehead. It devastated Harry. He hated that someone did this to her.

He shook his head, “No, but I was thinking it. Along with a lot of worse things.” He wiped a stray tear away with his thumb. She closed her eyes, and moved closer to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her tiny little frame into his chest, giving her comfort.

“What did I do, Harry?” She whispered after a few minutes.

“Absolutely nothing,” He swore, “Jack’s not a nice guy. He would have to be a fuckup if he cheated on such a wonderful, beautiful, smart, witty, perfect girl like you, Charlie.” Her blonde head nodded, agreeing that he was a fuckup. Kissing her head, he sighed.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” She sighed, snuggling farther into him. He nodded, holding her tighter.

“But can we scoot up a little bit? My feet are dangling off the edge,” Harry whispered. He felt her smile, then her nod. Moving so that his arms stayed wrapped around her, he situated himself so that both of their heads were on a pillow. There was a little thump, and Paddy snuggled up in the small of Charlie’s back.

“So,” Will said, sliding next to Harry on the couch, “I heard Charlie’s staying at your place.” He waggled his eyebrows and elbowed Harry, trying to get a response. Harry shrugged, not giving it any thought. She only thought of him as a friend, and besides she was getting out of a relationship, so who was he to hinder her from moving on?

“Yeah, for now, she’s just trying to find her own place. Jack kicked her out.” He shrugged again, going through his planner. It had been two weeks since Jack told Charlie not to bother getting her stuff, that it was all thrown out, and almost a month since their fight at Harry’s. Charlie had been able to get most of her clothes, books, and shoes, but her furniture wasn’t spared in Jack’s rampage.

“What a dick,” Ed replied, sliding onto Harry’s other side, “Speaking of dicks, how is that girl you were dating? What was her name, Rose?”

“Rosie,” Harry stated, “And there’s nothing to talk about there, either.” Both Ed and Will shared a look then nodded. Rosie had come to visit Harry at the shop a few too many times for both of their tastes, she was there more than Ed and he was a regular.

“I’m glad you got rid of her,” Will spoke up, running a hand down his beard, “Charlie’s a catch.”

“Yeah, she’s great,” Harry agreed, smiling, thinking of earlier that morning when she bounded down the stairs ready for work but had forgotten to put on an undershirt, so her blue bra was obvious. Harry blushed, then asked her hesitantly if her outfit was supposed to look like that. Her eyebrows had crumpled, then she looked down. Embarrassed, and incredibly red-faced, she bolted back upstairs then came back down completely composed, and acted like nothing had happened.

A buzzing came from the table in front of the three men and all reaching for their iPhones, it was Harry’s phone, Charlie’s face filling the screen. Blushing slightly as the guys next to him poked and pinched him, he answered.

“Hello Charlotte,” Harry said, not bothering with the formal hello?, “What’s up?” He moved from the couch and into his office so his best friends wouldn’t bother him.

“Oh, nothing,” Charlie’s voice was giggly, like she was excited, “How fast can you get to...” There was rumpling of papers and then she recited the address for him. Typing it into Google on his computer, Harry found the address she’d given him was near to his house, a 20 minute commute.

“15 minutes,” He replied, waving goodbye to Ed and Will, who were still on the couch and heading out the door.

“Perfect, I’ll be here,” Charlie replied, he could hear the smile in her voice. Then she hung up.

A small smirk was on his face as he strode up to her, 20 minutes later.

“Hey!” Charlie exclaimed, waving to him.

“What’s so important that I have to leave my job?” Harry teased, looking at the mix of shops and apartment buildings on the street.

She held her arms out, gesturing at the white four-story in front of them. The ground level was an expensive furniture store, with an option to go to a lower apartment, and then two flats more on top of the shop. It was cute, totally Charlie’s type. Harry nodded, looking up and then around at the surroundings.

“The lower apartment is the one I’m looking at,” Charlie informed him, walking down to the entrance and dragging him along.

The stairs going down were lined with vines, creating more privacy from the road and shop-goers. A black front door and large bay greeted them among the vinery, and Charlie smiled. Putting the key in the lock, she opened the door.

“Well, it’s a good thing it’s under budget,” Charlie laughed nervously, looking around. The floor in the front room was torn up so that cement was showing in places, and the paint covering the brick walls was falling off. Walking further inside, they discovered a completely gutted kitchen with absolutely nothing inside except pipes, the same thing with the bathroom. Harry laughed as Charlie walked into a bedroom and thought it was a closet, then Charlie laughed as Harry hit his head on an exposed lightbulb in the ceiling.

“This is it, Harry,” Charlie chirped, locking up. He smiled, glad she was happy about it.

“If you’re sure,” He agreed, starting up the stairs. “It’s awesome from the outside.”

“Shut up!” She elbowed his ribs, stowing the key in door’s eave. “I’ll be able to get it for a really good price and then be able to remodel for my liking, it’s absolutely perfect.” She smiled, pulling her purse strap onto her shoulder.

“I’m not sure what you’ll need two other bedrooms for,” Harry teased, walking back to his house with her.

“That’s what remodeling is for, Harold.” She replied, flippantly.

They walked in silence, their shoes and the passing cars being the only noises. Glancing over at Harry, Charlie realized he’d gotten a new tattoo. The arm that had previously been a half sleeve had an addition that drifted onto his forearm. It had to be fresh because his skin was still a little pink around the edges, but it was amazing.

“Hey, you.” She poked him, getting his attention, giggling when he jumped at her touch.

“What?” He asked, his eyebrows scrunching, trying to figure out what was wrong.

“What’s this?” Pulling his arm up and flopping it at him. “You copier.”

“I did not copy you, you don’t have anything similar to this,” He retorted, gesturing to his new world map that circled around the area that went down his elbow and mid-forearm. Charlie nodded, stopping. As she motioned for him to come closer, she lifted up the right side of her t-shirt, on her hip was a similar looking world map, but hers was in color. They chuckled lightly as the realization sunk in that they had pretty much the same piece.

“Hey, I was wondering, how did I never see you at the shop before we met? I feel like we would have run into each other at least once before,” Charlie commented as they continued their journey to Harry’s, it was only a few houses down from where they were.

“I was wondering that too, so don’t be weirded out,” He smiled, looking over at Charlie, her pretty brown eyes wide with curiosity. “But I went through all of my appointments, and then I went through all of yours that Will had on file, and none of them coordinated, not even close within an hour. Completely odd, right?” He walked up his front stairs, unlocking the door and letting her in first.

“Hi Pad,” She cooed, petting and picking up the kitten as she ventured into the kitchen. Cradling her like a baby, she kissed a white spot on Paddy’s head.

“Do you think you’ll get a pet when you get your place?” Harry asked nonchalantly. Charlie nodded, her hair drooping out of the bun on the top of her head.  

“Cats are great, but I think I want a puppy,” She replied, putting Paddy on the counter. Paddy scampered to Harry’s open arms and he swooped her up in one motion. “And I’m also sorry that it’s taking me so long to find a place, it’s such an inconvenience for you.”

Harry shook his head, “No not at all, stay as long as you need to, I’ve got plenty of room,” He smiled, “You hungry? We could go out or something.” She nodded and he pulled out his mobile just as it started to buzz. A text from Ed. ‘Movies and Beer at your place in 10’, it said. Harry smirked and sent back a thumbs-up emoji.

“Ed’s coming, too, if that’s okay,” He informed her, making sure she was comfortable with it. Charlie smiled and nodded again, then scurried up the stairs with a ‘If someone’s coming here, I better change’. He smirked and pulled out his and Ed’s favorite drinks, then grabbed a glass and wine for Charlie, not sure if she’d want to drink too much. He’d just put a pizza in the oven and pulled Charlie’s favorite crackers out of the cabinet when the buzzer rang, signaling Ed’s arrival.

Charlie loped down the stairs in time to open the door for him. Wearing Harry’s favorite outfit on her, dark, ripped, skin-tight skinny jeans, a flowy long-sleeved white v-neck shirt, and her glasses, she looked incredible.

“Oh,” She stood with the door open as Ed was still on the front steps, “You’re Ed. Hi,” Letting him in, she blushed. When Ed’s back was turned to her, she motioned at him to Harry, ‘THAT’S ED?!’ she mouthed, clearly excited. Trying to be discreet, Harry nodded and Ed was saying something but Harry didn’t catch it.

“Erhm, sorry, I missed that,” Harry told his best friend.

“I was just saying that I love this place,” Ed repeated, looking from him to Charlie, who was now standing next to Harry at the counter and whose face was reddening by the second.

“You okay?” Ed asked, talking to Charlie.

“Um, yeah, sorry, I’m a big fan,” She stammered, smiling. Harry turned, surprised.

“You know who he is, but you hadn’t ever heard of me?” He asked, laughing. Charlie shrugged.

“I suppose,” She said, then looked at his shocked face, eyebrows up and scrunched, eyes wide. She laughed, “Don’t get so butthurt, Harold,” She looked at Ed, “Do you mind? I have a copy of + on vinyl...”

“Sure, why not,” He smiled, as she ran back up to her room. “She’s great,” He told Harry as soon as she was out of earshot. Harry shrugged, smiling and nodding. They both watched as her footsteps turned from running to a casual trot coming down the stairs. She handed Ed the album, grinning as he signed it for her.

“Thank you so much,” She smirked as he handed it back to her. Again, she found Harry looking at her perplexed, so she stuck her tongue out at him. He followed suit and did the same.

“God, you two are weird,” Ed said, watching them make faces at each other while trying to control their laughter.

****  
  


“So, you want this wall to come down?” Harry asked, staring at it. Charlie nodded, going to stand next to him.

“Yeah, I don’t like this place so closed off,” She sighed, looking around at the mess they had. Carpet was ripped up everywhere, and chunks of drywall scattered the floor. “It’s not a supporting wall, so it should come down easily. Do you want me to help?” She asked, neglecting her mess on the other side of the apartment, wanting to take a wall down. It had been a week since she got the apartment and started in on her projects, but she’d wanted Harry’s help to do the big stuff.

Pulling his hair back into a tiny bun, he sighed. “I suppose, if you think you can do it,” He teased, glancing over at her. She rolled her eyes and fake punched his exposed arm. Since the place had no sort of air-conditioning yet, they were both sweating and down to shorts and sleeveless shirts.

“Can you stop flirting?” A whine came from the front door, Harry’s reinforcements had come through. Liam and Ed were standing at the threshold, both ready to get to work.

“I bet if you ran at it, Liam, your weight alone could take it down,” Harry countered. Liam rolled his eyes and took the hammer from Harry. With one fluid swing, there was a gaping hole in the wall.

“Let’s do it,” Charlie laughed, joining Liam in the destruction.

Hours later, the wall separating the kitchen and front room was gone, along with the ones separating the bedrooms Charlie didn’t need. Gathered in what would be the kitchen, scattered on the floor surrounding a couple pizzas, the crew sat exhausted.

“Jesus, I had no idea it was going to be like this,” Liam commented, gesturing at the mess everywhere. “If you need help cleaning up, or something...”

“Oh, no, no. That’s my part,” Harry interrupted.

“Yeah, probably the only thing you’re good at,” Charlie teased, interrupting him. Ed and Liam erupted with laughter. He flashed her a glare, then chucked his dirty napkin at her face. Swatting it away with ease, she smirked.

“Well, it’s getting late,” Ed sighed, getting up to go. Liam joined him and they left together, leaving Harry and Charlie to clean.

“Thanks, by the way,” Charlie admitted, wrapping her arms around Harry’s waist as he was coming back in from throwing out drywall. He patted her head. “Like, for everything, Harry, I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Pinching her cheek, he smirked. “It’s really my pleasure, I’ve got nothing better to do.”

“Oh yeah,” That statement had sparked something she’d been wanting to ask for a long time, “Harry, why do you spend so much time with me?” She asked, not noticing when he froze. “Like, you’ve gotta have something better to do, don’t you have a girlfriend or something?” She looked up at him, her eyes sort of sad. He shook his head, booping her nose. In return, she poked both dimples.

“Nope, I’ve got my Paddington, my mum and sister, and you,” He replied, smiling, “That’s all the girls I need.”

“But, your cat cannot count.” She pouted, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, but she does. She’s the love of my life, good little Paddy.” He smiled, relieved that she was letting it go and not forcing any more questions on him. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship by telling her he had feelings for her.

She let it be, and they walked back to Harry’s house in silence, enjoying the night.

Turning the corner onto Harry’s street, a dark figure was sitting on what looked like Harry’s steps. As they got closer, they realized that indeed someone was sitting on Harry’s stairs.

“Harry?” Charlie whispered, walking behind him and taking his hand as he shielded her.

“Stay close,” Harry whispered back, his voice low and graveley. When the man saw them coming, he stood.

“It’s about damn time,” He boomed. Jack. Charlie stopped, her heart pounding. By the slight slur in his voice, she knew he was drunk. He had to have been incredibly drunk to be coming to Harry’s. Charlie knew that when he was that drunk, he was violent, even worse than when he was when she left.

“Go home, Jack,” Harry ordered, pulling Charlie close behind him. Gladly she clung to his arm, touching his back.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Jack said, rounding so that he was adjacent to the house’s front, leaving Harry and Charlie in the open. Feeling exposed, Charlie hung closer to Harry, poking her head around his arm to watch Jack.

“Ah, there’s my girl,” Jack yelled, “Charlie, come home,” he yelled this at the same time Harry whispered, “Just ignore him, he’s drunk beyond reason,” She nodded, listening to Harry. Without realizing it, she was running her fingers in circles on his back, calming them both.

“Styles, stop fucking my bitch, and let her go,” Jack slurred, stumbling towards them. Charlie backed away instinctively, but Harry stepped forward.

“Harry, no,” Charlie whispered, trying to pull him back. “He’s not worth it,” Harry only nodded and stepped back with her. Jack cocked his head, watching them.

“Charlie,” Jack shouted, coming closer, “Marry me.”

“She’s not doing anything she doesn’t want to do,” Harry reminded Jack, level-headed. Jack cackled, almost falling to the ground, he was laughing so hard.

“Say it then, baby,” Jack laughed, clutching his stomach.

“I’m not marrying you,” Charlie affirmed, raising her voice. “Nor am I going to have anything to do with you, ever again. Go home.”

Jack was on the ground, his huge frame heaving from laughter, especially after hearing that. Neighbor’s lights started to come on from down the road. Harry’s front door was a straight shot from where he and Charlie stood, but neither of them wanted to take the chance, Jack was unpredictable.

“Alright fine,” Jack said, getting up and still chuckling. “I’ll go, just tell me one thing, Styles, you tell me how she is in bed, I never experienced it sober. Drunk is the only way to see that bitch as beautiful,” He laughed, stumbling forward to them. Charlie flinched at his words.

“You never even experienced-” She started to yell, but Harry shook his head, reminding her that it really wasn’t worth it, Jack wouldn’t remember this anyway. “He never experienced it, period.” She whispered to Harry.

“I don’t like him calling you a bitch, Charlie,” He whispered back. “Nor do I like him saying that you’re not beautiful, because he’s fucking wrong.” Harry’s voice was getting deeper, gravelier by every word he spoke.

“Would you two stop your God damn whispering?” Jack shouted, coming closer. Even at the far distance they were at, they could clearly smell all the alcohol on him.

“Charlie, I want you to run to the door, lock it, and then let me in when I knock like this,” He tapped his thumb against her hand in a syncopated rhythm. She nodded. Letting her hand go, he nodded too, giving her the key quickly. Sprinting to the door, her hands shook as Jack’s voice boomed in her direction. Too concentrated on getting the key in the lock and turning it, she couldn’t understand what he was saying. His voice was echoing off the walls, first in her direction then a different way, like he had been coming towards her then taken off course. She got in, and locked the door. Heaving against it, she couldn’t hear anything even though she tried.

“Alrighty, it’s just you and me now Styles,” Jack turned, after spouting slurs at Charlie as she darted past.

“No, you’re leaving,” Harry said, taking Jack by the shoulders, twirling and forcing him back towards the end of the street. Stumbling to the ground, Jack looked up at Harry indignantly. Egging him on. It was dark, but from the light on the outside of Harry’s house and a street lamp, both of them were illuminated.

“I’m not finished with you,” Harry told him. “Get up, Jack.” Ready to fight, Jack did just that, rushing at Harry. With one solid, swift movement, there was a crunch as fist collided with face, and Jack was on the ground again. Shaking his hand out, not in pain but to release the tension, Harry squatted next to Jack, who was face down on the concrete, content with lying there now.

“You were so horribly blind, she was right there, always right there to deal with your bullshit. She was the one who stuck by your side through everything. She didn’t want to leave, but you, you forced her. Don’t even try again. You’re too late. You lost it all when you fucked that housewife. You lost it all when you called her a bitch. You’re late. You’re blind, you lost the most amazing, perfect, most beautiful woman in the world. How could you have been so blind, Wilson? I don’t get it.”

With a kick to Jack’s side, Harry strode away.

Hearing the syncopated knock, she gladly let him in. Tears sprung to her eyes when his perfect face was intact, just the way it was supposed to be. He closed the door behind him, locking it.

“Hi,” He smiled, pulling her into a hug and wiping a tear that came loose.

“Hi,” Charlie whispered against his chest, “Harry, I’m so glad you’re okay,”

He pulled her tighter. “Me too, love. Me too.”

****  
  


Her heart leapt when she opened the door. She knew it was him, but he gave her butterflies whenever he was around.

“Hi,” He said, smiling. She smiled back and let him inside, proud of her handiwork. He hadn’t seen it since he’d helped tear down the walls.

“So, this is it,” Charlie escorted him through the front room, where he stopped.

“Wow,” Harry said, looking around. “This is great Charlie.”

It really was great. She stripped all the paint off the walls, leaving the brick exposed, installed wood flooring, and put up an exposed lightbulb chandelier. He looked around, she had a white leather chaise lounge chair in front of a bookshelf that divided the apartment, across from the lounge was a white wool armchair nestled in the bay window with a gray antique-looking side table. In the center of both, uniting the room in front of the exposed fireplace, was a white linen loveseat atop a fluffy, gray shag rug.

Leading him into the kitchen and dining room, Harry was pleasantly surprised again. Charlie smiled as he took in the white kitchen, his jaw open wide. The floors, continued with the light wood Charlie had installed, accented the light beige subway tile backsplash behind the shelves she’d used instead of cupboards, although she did put in cabinets so the gray countertop had something to sit on. Her appliances were stainless, with the exception of the light mint green Smeg refrigerator. Light was coming in from a window above the sink, reflecting off the glass dining table in the middle of the kitchen. The table was round, with four industrial refurbished chairs surrounding it.

“This doesn’t look like the same house,” Harry praised, looking at Charlie.

“Wait until you see this,” She replied, smirking and opening the door next to them. Before the bathroom had a solitary window amongst bunches of pipes, now gray tile covered the floor, the walls were painted a light blue, and a large clawfoot bathtub dominated the window wall. Walking in, the tub and window were straight ahead, and when Harry turned to the right, a large vanity took up that wall. It reminded him of those vanities he’d seen in old-fashioned movies, the old Hollywood type of vanities. On that same wall was the toilet, almost unnoticeable compared to the vanity and tub.

Turning to her, he grinned. She smiled back, he was the first to see it.

“What did you do with your bedroom?” He asked, she’d taken out two bedrooms to make up her room. She kept the smallest bedroom to use as a closet, removing the doorway and leaving it open to her bedroom. Sighing and opening the door, she let him into her sanctuary. The hardwood floor continued into her room, where she had a iron headboard and frame framing her new kingsize bed. Like much of the rest of the house, her bed was white except for a few gray pillows and a single gold one in the middle. A plush chair sat in one corner, and as they rounded one wall, the doorway to her closet was to their right and in front of them was a metal desk framed by bulletin boards and collages of ideas, quotes, and pictures.

She blushed a little as he went to investigate the pictures and quotes she had hanging, they were all self-motivating, telling her to love herself.

“You’ve gotten a lot done in the past two weeks,” Harry commented, sitting down in the plush armchair by the corner. She nodded, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call or anything, I just wanted to get it done,” She replied, watching him take in the space. His eyes were wandering everywhere, looking up at the ceiling and then over out the window then back to her. She smiled when they finally rested on her, meeting her eyes.

“I understand, it looks great,” He smiled back. His phone buzzed in his pocket unexpectedly and he checked it. “Want to come to the shop with me?” He asked, holding up his phone. She nodded, getting up as he did.

“You okay?” She asked him as they had been walking to the Tube in silence for the past five minutes. He nodded, glancing over at her and giving her a goofy face.

“Yeah, I’m good. Are you?”

“Yeah, I suppose. I missed you, it’s weird not seeing you every day,” She admitted, hopping on the train with him. They settled into open seats that were right next to each other, awaiting the next five stops until they had to get off.

“Anyway, I missed you too Charles,” Harry continued their conversation, turning to her in his seat, smiling. She patted his cheek in reply, poking both dimples.

“Oh hey,” Harry said, taking Charlie’s hand then swinging it obnoxiously, making her laugh, “This is a potential client, so don’t make me look bad,” He teased, opening the door for her as they walked into the shop.

“Harry, only you could make yourself look bad,” She smiled. Will was sitting on the couch in the front room when they walked in, talking to a man their age. The guy looked up at Harry and Charlie as they came in, and Charlie assumed this was Harry’s potential client. He had piercing blue eyes and sandy brown hair that was a straggly mess atop his head. He was bony compared to Harry but still muscular, and a lot taller than Charlie, almost Harry’s height.

“Heard the best tattoo artist worked here,” He smiled, showing off perfectly white, straight teeth. An Irish accent blurred his speech, Charlie was taken aback at first. When he came closer and hugging Harry, she noticed that his hair wasn’t exactly brown, but actually blonde on top with grown out brunette roots, much like hers.

“You flatter me, Niall,” Harry replied, Charlie knew that name from somewhere, she just couldn’t remember where. Harry and Niall turned to Charlie, Niall stuck his hand out and she shook it.

“Niall Horan,” He smiled, flirting a little.

Blushing, “Charlie Smith,” she smiled back. They were still shaking hands, he hadn’t let go.

“Charlie,” Harry coughed, glancing from one of them to the other, “Niall was in One Direction,”

“Probably the best member,” Niall whispered to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, while Harry ignored him and kept talking. Charlie glanced up at him, and he winked. Smiling, she looked back to Harry and Will.

“Niall,” His tone was sharper, “Charlie’s my best friend.”

Something about this made Niall shift away from Charlie, like the look in Harry’s eyes meant something to him. All four of them stood there awkwardly as Charlie tried to figure out what was going on.

“So, um,” Will cleared his throat, attempting to erase the tension, “Charlie, I’ve got some sketches for you to look at,” He told her, motioning for her to come along. Hesitantly she did so, leaving Harry and Niall looking at each other.

“I don’t even have an appointment booked,” Charlie noted, following Will. He turned, walking backwards for a few steps.

“I know, I need your opinion,” He replied, smiling. She nodded in reply, pulling up the sleeve of her favorite jumper. It was soft and cozy, and she wore it so often that it seemed she never took it off.

“You still staying at Harry’s?” Will asked when they were seated and sifting through sketches in his office. She shook her head, giving him an unfinished piece back.

“Nope, I finally got settled in my own place,” She replied, divulging the details about her house hunt and then the chaos of renovation. Will laughed when she was telling him about a pipe coming apart as she was installing her bathtub and how it created a mini lake in her bathroom. They were too busy laughing about it to notice when Harry and Niall appeared in the doorway.

“Oh,” Charlie stopped, wiping at the corners of her eyes, “Hey,” She smiled, looking directly at Harry. Smiling slightly back at her, he cocked his head, wanting her to come with him. She nodded, handing Will his sketches back.

“It was great to meet you,” Charlie told Niall as she walked past him. He smiled.

“Yeah, you too. See you later,” He replied, sticking his hands in his back pockets.

“Bye Will,” Harry and Charlie said at the same time, they looked at each other and smiled. Holding out a fist, Charlie had to think for a second what that meant before bumping his large hand with her small one. Charlie strolled out the door first as Harry opened it for her, glaring at Niall as he said much too loudly:

“They’re so cute together, don’t you think?”

She rolled her eyes as Harry gave him the finger, then they continued on their way.

“Coffee?” Harry asked, looking over at Charlie. She nodded, glancing up at him. Something about his tone was different, like he was mad or something.

“Harry?” She asked, hesitant. He looked over at her, his expression softening when he took in her worried face. The nearest coffee shop was just across the street, and they crossed when it was safe.

“What’s up, love?” He asked, looking at her.

“Well, are you mad at me or something?” She asked, quiet. Opening the door and ushering her in, he smirked.

“No, Charlie, I’m not mad at you,” He walked with her to the counter and waited while she ordered. When the barista looked at him, he shook his head. “None for me, thanks though,” Charlie turned, flashing him a glare.

“C’mon Harry, just get a little something,” She whined. “I’ll buy,” She pulled out her best smile and puppy dog eyes, making him concede.

“Just a latte, please,” Harry smiled, looking only at Charlie, he watched while she paid and scampered over to a table by the window front. “No, I’m not mad at you,” He continued their conversation, sitting down across from her. “I don’t think I could be mad at you, but either way I’m not mad at all,” He smiled, trying to be convincing.

“Not even in general?” Charlie asked, pushing up her glasses as they slid down her nose. She’d been wearing her glasses a lot, and Harry liked how they framed her big brown eyes perfectly.

“Not even in general,” He confirmed, booping her nose.

“So, what is it then?” She asked, searching his eyes. Something was up, and she wanted to know. Watching as he unwrapped a piece of gum and stuck it in his mouth, she raised her eyebrow.

“You want one?” He asked, offering her the pack. She shook her head, rolling her eyes.

“Harry, just tell me,” She whined, grabbing both of his hands. His hands enveloped hers, warming them.

“Niall told me some of the recent band dirt,” He sighed, “Both Louis and Zayn are married now. Niall’s got a girlfriend, and then there’s me,” She watched his eyes go from guarded, to frustrated, to sad in a matter of seconds.

“Oh,” Was all she could think of to say. Understanding why he was upset, she wanted to comfort him but couldn’t think of a good enough sentiment. She completely understood, all of her coworkers were getting married or already married, she was literally the only single one left in the entire office building.

“I know I should be happy for them, and I am,” He continued, drawing circles with his thumbs on Charlie’s hands, “I just wish I was in the same spot, you know?” She nodded.

“I completely understand,” Charlie smiled, trying to make eye contact with him, but he was staring at the table. “All of the people in my life are either married, or getting married, so I know exactly what you mean,” She lightly kicked him from under the table to make him look up at her, his eyes were sad. “How about this, if by this time next year, neither of us are in a relationship, we get married?”

“Charlie,” He sighed, “If that’s your way of trying to make me feel better, then-”

“No, no, just hear me out,” She interrupted, giggling a little, “It doesn’t have to be a real wedding or anything, we could just pretend. It might be fun, walking around in our wedding best: me in a pretty white dress and you in a tux. And people would think we just got married, then they’d be congratulating us, and we could just say ‘kidding’ and run away. Doesn’t that sound fun?” She smiled, just thinking about it made her happy. He chuckled a little, nodding.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, love,” He smiled, wishing he’d actually be able to see her in a wedding dress. They shook on it, making it a date in their calendars too: September 19th, 2027.

****  
  


“God, why haven’t you bloody kissed her yet?” Will flung his arms in the air, Harry had just gotten done telling him about the weekend he’d just had hanging out with Charlie. He’d gone to her place, they’d watched movies and got drunk, then fell asleep on the floor of her bedroom. It had been two weeks since they’d planned their fake wedding, and they’d gotten together almost every day.

“Because it doesn’t feel right to yet,” He replied, sighing. Thinking about her reactions made him nervous, what if she laughed? What if she didn’t feel the same? Or even worse, what if she did feel the same?

“Doesn’t feel right to what?” Ed asked, strolling into Harry’s office.

“The man hasn’t kissed Charlie yet,” Will informed him. Exasperated, Harry looked from one pair of eyes to the other. They weren’t helping him, he was trying to conceal his feelings for Charlie, but with the way that this conversation was going, he knew they wouldn’t agree with him.

“I admire your endurance,” Ed complimented, patting Harry’s back, “But seriously, enough is enough, just tell her for God’s sake.”

Harry’s phone buzzed in his pocket, he was meeting Charlie at an animal shelter to find a pet for her, and she was calling him.

“Hey, you ready?” Her perky voice echoed on the other end, not bothering for him to properly answer.

“Yeah, where again?” He asked, getting up and strolling out of the office, leaving Ed and Will wondering what was happening. She recited the address for him, and he put it into a GPS app on his phone before leaving.

“Do you have any names yet?” He asked, continuing the conversation and not wanting it to end.

“Sort of,” She replied, “But I’ll know for sure when I see him,” There was a shuffling of papers and then a door slamming on her end. He assumed she was leaving her apartment to meet him.

“Dog or cat?” He asked, going through a crosswalk, prompting a car to honk at him.

“I think a puppy would be fun,” From the sounds on her end, it seemed she was walking there too.

“I can see you with a puppy,” He assured her, smiling at the idea of her playing with it. Realizing that he was at the shelter, he stopped. “So, I’m here,” He told her, looking around.

“I know, I see you,” She laughed from behind him. Hanging up, he turned and smiled.

“Let’s go get you a puppy!” Harry squealed excitedly.

Walking in, they were greeted by a short gray haired man who led them to the pens when Charlie told him she wanted to adopt a dog. Walking by each sad little face hurt both Harry and Charlie’s hearts.

“So um,” Charlie quietly spoke up, “Which dogs are the ones that have been here the longest?” She asked, scanning the dogs that were caged. The man looked at her warily, like she was up to something, then led them farther back to a corner room filled with more dogs in kennels.

“These ones have been here for more than a year,” He sighed, then retreated as the dogs started to bark. “If you need anything just come find me,” He then left closing the door behind him.

Wandering the aisle, Charlie counted at least 15 dogs in total, ranging in all different sizes and breeds. She was reading each information card carefully, making sure that the dogs didn’t have violent behavior.

“Hey love,” Harry called, from the other side of the room, in front of a pen. He waved her over, looking at the information card on the outside of the cage. “His name is Barney,” Harry said, and at hearing his name, the dog perked up, coming to the front of his cage, tail wagging.

“He’s been here for three years?” Charlie asked, reading Barney’s information. It said he was a mix of Pug and Staffordshire Bull Terrier, he’d been a rescue and hadn’t found a forever home yet although a lot of people had considered him, he still had minor accidents although he was potty-trained and liked to eat his own puke. Lazy for his breeds, he slept or cuddled a lot and was a snore-er.

Harry smiled at her expectantly, “If you don’t take him, I will,” Squatting down to pet him through the bars, Barney came closer and lent Harry his head to be scratched. Smiling, Charlie did the same, holding out her fingers for him through the bars, and scratched his back. His fur was rough and shedding, typical for Pugs. His face and body were tan while his ears, paws, and tail was a dark brown.

“He’s perfect,” She cooed, “Aren’t you, Barney?”

Walking home, Barney was all business. For every step Charlie and Harry took, the stocky little guy had to practically run to keep up. Unlocking her front door, Barney bolted in and found his sleeping spot at the foot of the fireplace in the front room.

“Happy little bugger,” Harry commented, watching the little dog snore. Charlie nodded, smiling.

“You want anything?” She asked, going into the kitchen to get herself some water.

“No, but thank you,” He replied, following her in and sitting at the table. His eyes followed her as she plucked a water bottle and apple out of the fridge, then as she wandered to her cabinets grabbing a napkin and a mug to pour her water into. Her hair was up in a bun, so the tattoos on her neck were visible.

“Charles,” He motioned for her to come over with his index finger, confused she did.

“What?” She left the cup, water bottle, napkin and apple on the counter, so her hands were free, dangling at her sides.

“Come here,” Harry pulled her onto his lap so that he could see the tattoos better. She giggled lightly as he ran his finger over the lightbulb drawing behind her ear, and then again when he traced feathers, ones that drifted down her neck to the middle of her back where she had a dream catcher.

“Harry, stop,” She laughed, breathless when he breathed into her ear. Holding up her arm, “You’re giving me goosebumps,”  Looking in his eyes, she saw her reflection, a happy, pretty girl. She wanted to stay that way forever, she never saw herself that way in Jack’s eyes, all she’d ever seen was her guard up, waiting for him to tell her she’d done something wrong. Harry’s face was always happy to see her, while Jack’s had always been bored. God, she hated what he’d done to her, first the cheating and then the lies and all the drama he’d caused. He’d ruined her for anything good now, she couldn’t trust anyone anymore, except for maybe Harry. Harry’s expression changed as hers did, both of their eyebrows crinkling, and his eyes searched for the thing that changed when she turned away and got up, leaving his lap cold.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, looking down at his hands, like they’d betrayed him. “Did I do something?” He asked again when she didn’t respond. Looking over at her, she’d hoisted herself up onto the counter and was staring at her knees. He stood up, going over to her and standing between her knees, he took her chin in his fingers. The dark brown of her eyes were shadowed by something, her guard was up. He hated it when she was shielding herself, she wasn’t the same.

“You didn’t do anything, Harry, I’m sorry,” She whispered, blinking slowly then looking over his shoulder so she didn’t have to meet his eyes.

“Was it the lap thing?” He asked, worriedly. “Because I won’t do that ever again if you don’t want me to, just tell me what it was Charlie, I don’t like seeing you like this,” He took her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks.

His eyes were so intense, caring for her, she thought. “It’s so weird. I guess, like thinking about it, Jack wasn’t the first person to teach me that I’m worth nothing, I’ve spent my life believing that, you know?”

“You’re not though, Charlie,” Harry whispered. She nodded.

“I know that now. Harry,” She sighed, “You’ve taught me so much, you’ve helped me and loved me, and I don’t even know how to thank you. You’ve helped me see that I’m worth absolutely everything,” Charlie smiled, brushing a curl away from his eyes.

“That’s because you are,” He smiled back. His phone buzzed in his pocket, vibrating against the countertop, making a louder noise than it actually was. Apologizing with his eyes, he pulled it out and then immediately regretted doing so: it was Liam asking if he wanted to bring Charlie to their place for dinner. Liam’s place meant a too-big house with a long drive into the country. But that could give him time with Charlie, so maybe he didn’t regret it so much.

“It’s Liam,” He told her, “Do you want to go to dinner?” He asked, putting on his best smile.

“Sure,” She replied, grinning back. “Just let me change and put on makeup first,” She hopped off the counter and scampered to her room to get ready. Harry texted Liam back saying that they’d be there in about 2 hours.

“I’m still sad we had to leave Barney,” Charlie sighed from the passenger seat of Harry’s car, looking out the window.

“I know, I’m sorry I forgot about him,” He replied, turning down the radio. Glancing over at her, he smirked. She was dressed like Charlie: dark jeans, black top, skin-colored heels, and hair in a messy bun. God, he thought, she’s gorgeous. It was an hour and a half drive to Liam’s, given the traffic getting out of London, and they were already almost there.

“Okay,” Charlie sat up straighter, like she was about to proposition him something, “Tell me something.”

“Anything,” He replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

“What is your favoritest day in the history of your life?” She asked, leaning on the console in between them, looking at him.

“That’s a hard one,” He blinked, looking over at her for a second. “Probably the last show we played, it was packed, not an empty seat. It was a really emotional show, because it was the last one, so we were all pretty much crying the whole time, but it’s my favorite because the fans were incredible.” He paused, turning onto a long road. “They were completely quiet, it was odd, they were always usually so loud, but they were so quiet. Like they were enjoying that show just as much as we were, and I mean, it was just perfect. Nothing went wrong, we were all so into it, leaving everything on the stage,” He smiled, looking over at her. “At the end, when we said our goodbyes, they timed it perfectly so that they said ‘I love you’ all at the same time, all 80,000 of them. It was absolutely incredible. What’s yours?”

She smiled, thinking about it. “Probably the day I landed in London, like the first time I came here. Something about exploring the city and being in the rush of it all, I felt at home. You know? I’d never felt like that before, so it was the greatest feeling.”

He nodded as he turned and pulled onto Liam’s drive, buzzing the button at the front gates to let them in. Charlie shouldn’t have been surprised at how big and gorgeous the house was, but she found herself gaping at the pillars and grand exterior.

“I know what you mean,” Harry replied, putting the car into park and turning it off. “You ready?” He asked, and she nodded.

When they walked in, Charlie got a tour of the house from Sophia, while Harry and Liam took to the kitchen to set up dinner. Over dinner the two guys reminisced over their days in One Direction, both of them missing it a lot. After dinner, Charlie helped Sophia clean while the guys did dishes.

“Mate, you gotta just tell her, or get over it,” Liam whispered to Harry as they watched Sophia and Charlie talk about the current fashion trends while clearing the table.

“What are you talking about?” Harry whispered back, turning away and going to a more secluded spot with Liam following him. Standing between the doorway where they could still see the girls, Liam put his arm around Harry’s shoulders.

“I’m saying that it’s obvious you have feelings for each other, and if you would-”

“You think she has feelings for me?” Harry interrupted, surprised.

“Yeah, I think so,” Liam ran his hand over his head. Harry smirked, looking across two rooms at the two women where they were snickering.

“I love spending time with your friends,” Charlie smiled as they were walking out to Harry’s Range Rover when they were leaving. Their hands brushed, sending a zing between them, she glanced over at him, he smiled slightly.

“They love you,” He replied, unlocking the car and then opening the door for her. Surprised, Charlie curtsied before climbing in. He smiled, watching her do so, and then shut the door. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to tell her, he was falling for her. Hard.

She woke up in the morning feeling great, perfect actually. A great day for a tattoo, she thought. Crawling across her bed to her laptop, she scoured the internet for new ideas.

Opening the door to the shop, Harry spotted Will right away. Waving as he strolled into his office, he smiled, ready to get to work. He’d spent the whole week trying to think of ways to tell Charlie about his feelings for her, but none of them seemed worthy enough. She was too innocent if he asked her on a date, because they’d already gone and done date things without them being considered dates, she would be too confused if he told her over the phone but he wouldn’t do that anyway, and he was worried what her reaction would be if he sat her down and just told it to her straight. Would she hate him for not saying anything? Would she hate him for even having those feelings? Would she hate him and then not ever talk to him again? What if she felt the same way? What would change? Everything, or nothing? He didn’t know, and it stressed him out.

There was a knock on his doorframe as Will ventured into his office.

“How’s your Saturday?” Harry asked, turning in his stool. Will smiled, looking cocky.

“Charlie called me, she’s coming in today,” He informed him, “Do you want to schedule a casual venting session too, because you haven’t fucking snogged her yet?”

Harry groaned, running his hands through his hair. “I need to know how she feels, first. I don’t want to tell her and then have her hate me.” Will nodded.

“I suppose so, do you want me to ask her?” He asked. Harry shook his head, that was so childish.

“No, it’s okay,” Harry replied. “No, I’ll just do it, not today but soon.” He promised as his first client walked in.

He watched her come in, not noticing that he was working. He smiled as she sauntered over to Will’s office station, in her typical Charlie fashion: hair bouncing with every step she took. God, she was cute. Silently kicking himself for not saying hi, he studied her as she happily conversed with Will, smiling and giggling once in a while. Trying not to glance in her direction too often, he found himself doing it anyway, confidence building when they made eye contact almost every time.

“So,” Will said as she was sitting down after showing him what she wanted: ‘This Is Not Permanent’ on her outer forearm. “Do you mind telling me what’s going on with you and one of my employees?” He teased, tipping his head back towards Harry’s direction. She felt the blush creep up her neck as she made eye contact with him across the shop, his smile sending the butterflies in her stomach crazy.

“Oh,” Will smiled, staring at her speechless face and her blushed deepened. Will smirked, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

“It’s not that,” She explained, but he cut her off with a wave of the hand, nodding.

“Yes, it is,” He smirked, just as Ed was coming in.

“What is?” He asked, looking from Will to Charlie.

“Charlie’s got the hots for Harry,” Will smirked, prepping her arm. She rolled her eyes, ignoring him.

“It’s not like that,” Charlie groaned, glaring at Will. “Yes, I suppose I have feelings for him, but I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize our really awesome relationship, you know?” Ed nodded, taking a stool from behind him to sit on, and pulling it up next to her.

“How long have you known?” He asked, twirling a piece of her hair around his finger. She shrugged.

“I guess for a while now,” Charlie sighed, glancing across at Harry. He was oblivious, doodling in his sketch book. Ed stared at her intently, scrutinizing the emotions on her face. Was it really obvious all the time? They made it seem like they were reading a book, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

“Just tell him,” Ed said as Will started in with the needle, “He’d like to know,” Charlie nodded, thinking about it. She found herself glancing his way, yet again, and again making eye contact.  Just like the last 30 times.

Accidentally making eye contact with Harry across the shop (again), she winced when he got up to come over, running a hand through his hair and looking at the floor. She felt the butterflies again as she caught his smolder. Ugh, stupid, pretty, wonderful boys, she thought.

“Please do not say a word to him,” She whispered, giving them both glares. The two only nodded as Harry sauntered into Will’s office. He leaned casually against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, watching. Apprehensively, Charlie smiled shyly at him, and he returned a grin.

“What’s this one, Charles?” He asked, teasing her with his eyes the way only he could.

“This is not permanent,” She replied, looking to see how far Will was, only two more letters to go. Chuckling lightly, Harry nodded, tucking hair behind his ear.

“But,” He flirted, “It is?” Looking at his friends for enforcements, he glanced from Ed who was still sitting on the stool, completely content and Will who was so focused he’d ignored everything so far. He got nothing, so he beamed at Charlie.

“Oh, love,” Charlie sighed, glancing up at him from under her eyelashes, “When did you find out?”

“Well, I tried to wash them and they,” He tried rubbing his arm, “Wouldn’t come off,” Harry winked, then strolled away, his walk exuding confidence. Will cleared his throat.

“Don’t even,” Charlie laughed, eyeing him and Ed.

“I was just going to say,” Will commented, “That I am done,” He smirked, shrugging. She turned, surprised, then held up her arm to see the quote. It was perfect.

“Ugh,” Charlie moaned, “It’s amazing.”

“That’s not the only thing,” Harry called from across the room, winking and motioning for her to come along. Paying Will quickly, she scampered to Harry’s side, grinning when he held the door for her and as they walked onto the sidewalk.

“Up for a little surprise?” Harry asked, glancing down at Charlie, their hands accidentally touching, sending a pulse of electricity between them.

“I suppose,” Charlie smiled, looking up at him, “Do I need to change?” She asked, glancing down at her dark jeans, leather jacket and scarf.

Giving her a once over, he smirked. “No,” Holding out his hand, he smiled widely as she took it without hesitating. The butterflies in her stomach hadn’t stopped since they left the parlor, and they were officially at their height thanks to the radiating energy that was traveling between their palms.

“We’re just going to a little place I like to call my house,” He smirked, resisting the urge to kiss the top of her head when she glared at him. “For a little party.”

“Okay,” Charlie pondered, “If it’s at your place, it’s not little,” He laughed, nodding.

“You’re right, my fine American lady,” As they turned the corner he grinned, swinging their hands obnoxiously.

“What the hell?” A man’s voice called from behind them, but Charlie didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. Jack was back, again.

“Jack seriously, just go home,” She replied, turning with Harry, their hands still entwined.

“You’re complaining about me cheating but like not even a month later, you’re dating him?!” He shouted, coming closer. Eyes red and hairy greasy, he hadn’t slept or showered in at least a week.

“Well,” Charlie looked at their hands then at Harry, “This isn’t exactly what it looks like,” She felt her heart sink, when he nodded and looked at Jack.

“She’s right, it’s really not,” Dropping her hand slowly, finger by finger. Jack stared blatantly as their hands parted, then looked directly at Charlie.

“You know,” He sighed, reaching into his pockets and pulling a cigarette and lighter out, lighting it then breathing in its chemicals, “You can always come home,”

“I’ve got a home now,” She told him, eyebrows crinkling. His grandfather died from lung cancer, she thought he knew better. Frowning, she walked towards him, close enough to pull the cigarette out of his mouth and throw it to the ground. He glared at her wordlessly then took another and lit it.

“Go home, Jack,” Harry told him while Charlie retreated back to him and took his hand. He squeezed her hand lightly, looking over at her, smiling slightly.

“I’ll wait for you buggie,” Jack said, turning around and walking away. Charlie faced Harry, her face angled up to see his. Brushing a strand of hair from her face, he smiled at her, eyes glinting.

“What’s your middle name?” He asked suddenly, eyes shifting from her right to left.

“Diane,” She smiled, “Yours?”

“Edward,” He smiled back, patting her cheek. “Let’s go inside, love,” He pulled her hand, and they walked in together, him opening the door for her.

Hours later, after rearranging furniture and moving breakable things to a more safe spot, people started showing up. Soon enough, his house was packed. Harry loved it, he loved being surrounded by people.

“You’re seriously kidding, right?” Charlie asked, practically shouting over the other people that were swarming in Harry’s reception room. He shook his head, smiling and pulling her along, introducing her to more of his friends. Other than Will and Ed, the only few people she remembered were Ashton and Michael who were Australians, and then his sister and her boyfriend.

Someone had a guitar, and was gathering a crowd near the couch where he was playing. Wandering over, Charlie recognized Niall, who had a tall brunette with him. Sitting on an arm of the sectional, she felt a presence behind her. Glancing back, Harry was smiling, watching Niall play and sing. He peeked down at her, and stepping forward he let her settle into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. Humming along, he rested his chin on top of her head. She smiled, enjoying their closeness around all these people, it was something Jack would have never done. Ugh, that stupid guy, she couldn’t believe she’d fallen in love with him. Will caught her eye from across the couch, winking at her as he passed, hand in hand with his girlfriend. She didn’t have time to give him a reaction, but mentally gave him the finger. As much as she wished she could be in a relationship with Harry, she wasn’t sure how that would go, would they still be as close or would they have to start over? She didn’t want to lose him to herself, would they be normal or would it be weird?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Niall stopped, and Harry’s chin lifted from her head.

“I’ll be right back,” He whispered in her ear, leaving her feeling cold without his warmth circling her. Eyes followed him as he strolled to the corner where his guitar was hidden and as he pulled it out of his case, coming back to the couch and sitting on the arm next to Charlie. Settling into her, he smiled as she supported him. With a look, the two guys started playing. Their voices matched and combined perfectly, soon enough the house was either singing along or listening intently; Ashton and Michael were both into it as well, joining Harry and Niall shamelessly. Twirling the curls on the back of his head around her index finger, Charlie smiled. Listening to him sing, it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. The rasp and deepness of his speaking voice floated over to his singing voice, she felt she could listen to it all day.

Ed came over and Harry handed him the guitar, freeing his hands and using them to pull Charlie’s around his waist.

“Having fun?” He asked, turning towards her slightly. She nodded, smiling and squeezing his hand.

“Absolutely,” She leaned her head on his back, between his shoulder blades.

“Thanks for coming tonight,” He smiled, looking over at her as he drove her home.

“For sure, thanks for inviting me,” She turned, propping her elbow on the center console, staring at him while he drove. He’d been worried when she was about to leave, not wanting her to walk alone, nor did they want to walk at that time of night. She loved the profile of his face, perfect mix of angular and rounded, and the way his hair framed it impeccably. He’d considered asking if she just wanted to stay the night then remembered Barney, home alone.

“You’ll always be invited,” Poking her nose, he grinned. Pulling up in front of her house, he put the car in park. He looked over at her, still watching him with her elbow propping her chin on the center console. He wasn’t sure what to do, should he tell her now? Does he ask to go in?

“Did you want to come in?” Charlie asked, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. Nodding and without breaking eye contact, he turned off the car. She smirked, almost laughing at how smooth he was about it.

“Don’t laugh,” Harry whispered, teasing. His voice changed and suddenly, the air inside the car was warm, the temperature between them changing. Still staring at her, he considered taking his face in his hands and just kissing her, subconsciously glancing at her lips the whole time.

She smiled, leaning in closer and unbuckled his seatbelt and then hers, all without breaking their gaze.

“Well,” He whispered as the belt flew past his face, “Aren’t you suave?”

“You know I am,” She flipped her hair, opening the door and jumping out of the hot tension. Charlie was already at her front door when he finally emerged, chuckling slightly. She waited until she felt his warmth behind her, then opened the door, turning lights on as she let Barney out the back door.

“Make yourself comfy,” Charlie called, going into her room to change. Pulling on her favorite pajama pants and t-shirt, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Should she tell him? Should she have just kissed him in the car? Would it be weird for her to make the first move? There were so many questions swirling through her head, and when she heard the light padding of his feet across the floor in her kitchen, she froze. Pacing, she changed again, putting on her favorite bra and panty set and her pajamas on over, not knowing but hoping that something would happen. Giving herself a glance in the mirror before going out, she pulled her hair into a messy bun.

Walking out, she found Harry had turned off the lights in the kitchen and let Barney back inside. She wandered into the front room, her socked feet making soft thumps on the floor. His back was turned to her, sitting in front of the lit fireplace with Barney by his side, dark messy curls pulled back into a tiny bun.

“Hey,” Charlie sighed, sitting down next to him. He glanced over, petting Barney.

“Hi,” Harry smiled, “I like watching the flames, makes me wonder if fire’s alive or not, you know?”

She nodded, “Hate to break it to you though, it’s not. I’m sorry for crushing your dreams,” Charlie laughed as he looked at her stunned.

“You heartbreaker,” He teased, patting her cheek then laying back and putting his hands behind his head. “How do you know that?”

“Fire doesn’t have cells, therefore it’s not alive,” She replied, laying on her side, looking at him with her elbow bent to have her hand propping her head up.

He looked over at her, “You were good at school, weren’t you?” She laughed, laying on her back too.

“I suppose,” She sighed, “I was okay,” Smirking, she turned back onto her side to look at him, he hadn’t moved.

“I always knew you were smart, Charlie,” Harry glanced over at her, giving her a dorky smile.

She smiled back and then they laid there for a while, listening to the fire burn. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, going back and forth between telling him and not wanting to make the first move. There was nothing wrong, she’d convinced herself, with making the first move, she was just incredibly nervous to do it. Pondering more over the night they’d just had, she remembered his voice when he sang, how magical and beautiful it was. She reminisced about how they’d both cuddled up next to each other during the music session at his party, how he voluntarily wrapped his arms around her, was it his way of being friends? Was she just getting the wrong idea? She couldn’t help herself, though, from thinking about his voice.   

“Harry?” Charlie mumbled, almost half asleep.

“Hmm?” He replied, sounding the same. She rolled over, poking his side, and he turned towards her, eyes sleepy.

“You have a pretty voice,” She whispered, feeling her face redden a little. He smiled slightly, poking her nose.

“Thank you,” He whispered back, “I haven’t heard that in a long time.”

She nodded, watching his sleepy face turn sad. “Will you sing for me, please?”

He hummed for a second, “What would you like to hear?” He asked, scooting closer to her. She smiled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Anything,” Charlie replied. Harry thought about it for a while, then hummed, picking a tune and a pitch.

“C’mon skinny love just last the year,” Harry’s voice ran across the words making them beautiful with his raspy and deep sound. Charlie sighed, listening to him was heaven. He watched her while he sang, not knowing when to stop. He watched her as she fell asleep, her eyelids slipping over her dark brown eyes, sending her off to dream land. Not wanting to wake her, he slid closer to Charlie and wrapped his arms around her, falling asleep quickly after that.

His morning commute was everything but extraordinary, the typical rush of people going places didn’t help the racing of his mind and heart. All he wanted so badly was for her to know, was for her to agree. Going through all the possibilities in his mind made it almost hurt, there was just too much to think about. Would she feel the same way? Will she be weirded out by him and all his underlying affection for her? Does she already know? He’d tried to make it obvious for her, but damn, she just wasn’t catching on, and if she had caught on, she didn’t let him know. He just wanted to know.

“So, here’s the thing,” Harry said, walking into Will’s office where he and Ed were, “I want to tell her. After last weekend, I feel like she’ll be okay with it,” He ran his fingers through his hair, looking from one guy to the other and sat on the tattoo chair. Ed nodded, then Will followed suit.

“Good for you,” Ed replied, smiling at him.

“Yeah, I think so too,” Will told Harry, “The way you two were at your place, it just seemed right for you guys, you know? Like you really had a connection, if I didn’t know either of you, I would have thought you were dating.”

Harry nodded, thinking about how he’d held her and how she supported him at his party 5 days ago. He loved that she hadn’t minded being so close to him surrounded by everyone, like it wasn’t that big of a deal and that it was natural. That night so many people had asked him if she was his girlfriend, and he didn’t know how to reply. No matter how badly he wished she was, he just wasn’t sure that’s what she wanted. She was so cute while sitting there on his couch, listening and jamming along with them, it just felt right. He remembered the morning after, waking up in her arms on the floor of her reception room, Barney at their feet. He watched her for a while when she was sleeping, her face so peaceful and innocent, just like her. She’d been so surprised that he’d stayed the night, but really he just never wanted to leave her.

“Like clearly, you’ve got things going on,” Will continued, getting up to shut the door. Harry nodded again, looking at his hands.

“But there’s a part of me that wonders if she doesn’t want more,” He confided, still looking at his fingers. That part bothered him the most, because he wasn’t sure. Was she naturally really giving and open to hugs and cuddling, or was it because she liked him a little more than she led on too? He wasn’t sure, but after that night, he’d wanted to find out so badly.

“If you don’t ask her out, you won’t know,” Will said, shrugging, “That’s how it was with Cass and I, I didn’t know what was going on between us until I proper asked her on a date.”

“I suppose,” Ed interjected, talking to Will, “You’re right, but I think Harry means something different. You didn’t know Cass that well, and he and Charlie have known each other for almost six months. She also just got out of a horrible relationship, and maybe she’s not ready for another.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Harry said, scratching his head. “I’ve always worried about that, and Jack still shows up, asking for her to come back. She’s said no, but sometimes I wonder if she ever would want to go back to him.”

“He’s a tool,” Will scoffed, “Absolutely nothing compared to you, Styles.”

“I know he’s an asshole, but she loved him,” Harry responded, not in the mood for compliments at the moment.

“You’ll never know unless you try,” Ed stated. Will nodded in agreement, and the bell at the front door notified them that someone had just come in. Opening the door to Will’s office, they saw Charlie. Butterflies lightly danced in Harry’s stomach, something he hadn’t felt for a long time. Wearing her typical ‘after-work’ attire, jeans and a jumper paired with a scarf, she looked absolutely incredible.

Seeing that the door to Will’s office just opened, she took in the three pairs of eyes staring at her, two green and one black.

“Hey,” Was all she managed to get out, she felt stage-fright somehow, with them all gawking at her. Will shoved Harry, making him get up. Harry’s tall lanky body was sheathed in his typical Harry clothes, jeans and one of those odd texture and patterned shirts under a jacket. With his hair pulled back, he looked older, somehow intimidating her as he walked in her direction.

“Hi,” Harry said, smiling.

“Get on with it!” Will called, winking and then closing the door.

“Shut up,” Harry turned, giving him a glare as the door swung shut.

“You’ll never know unless you tryyyyyyy,” Will called again, this time in a sing-song voice. It was slightly muffled by the closed door, but still an innuendo plain as day.

Charlie looked at Harry, who had a frown crossing his face, then back at the closed door, her brow coming together, confused. There were then more muffled sing-song sentences streaming from Will’s door, which just made Charlie more confused. What the heck was going on?

“Let’s get out of here,” Harry suggested, putting his hand on the small of her back and nodding toward the door out of the shop. She wasn’t budging though. Did they tell him? How embarrassing, she thought, if they’d told him and he didn’t feel the same way. She felt her stomach dropping, thinking of all the scenarios play out in her head as he told her that he’d only thought of her as a friend.

“What was he saying?” Charlie asked, looking into his eyes for answers.

“Nothing,” Harry brushed it off, guiding her out of the shop with him and down the street to a coffee place. She silently pouted the whole time while he ordered their usuals. He gave her a sigh and brought her to a table, not liking that she wasn’t talking. Looking at her across the table, he sighed again then gave her the coffee he’d ordered for her. Crossing her arms, she raised an eyebrow.

“Charlie,” Harry sighed, moving the cups to one side of the table and reaching across to poke her nose. Even that small touch sent an electric current through her, sending her butterflies into a frenzy. It pissed her off that someone could have that much power over her with just a tiny touch, but she craved it, she craved his touch. She turned, ignoring him, all the sighing was getting annoying. If the silent treatment wouldn’t work, maybe completely ignoring him would. She needed to know what he, Will, and Ed were talking about. Especially after she’d confided in them about her feelings about Harry for a reason, that they wouldn’t tell him.

“Charlotte Diane, look at me, please,” He leaned over, grinning and giving her puppy dog eyes. She looked, giving him a blank look. She sighed, falling for his innocent, pretty face and big green eyes.

“I didn’t want you to know,” They said in unison, then again in unison, “What?” and again, “You first.”

Harry motioned for her to speak, and she shook her head, forcing him to go first.

“I’m falling in love with you Charlie,” Harry said, prompting her to gasp. He sounded so sure, like it was right. He was so confident in what he said, that it almost hurt. He knew. “I know that it’s sort of crazy, and that we always were just friends, but I can’t keep my feelings hidden anymore. I know that you might not feel the same way, and that I’m being incredibly unintelligent telling you right here, right now, when I could tell you in a better way, but I had to tell you. I’m falling for you, and it’s been driving me insane.” He searched her eyes, looking for something. A weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders, and now his chest was constricting with every second she sat there staring at him.

“Say something,” He whispered, coming to regret it. Looking down at his hands folded in his lap, he kicked himself for not seeing that she didn’t feel the same way.

“Harry,” Charlie sighed, smiling. She reached across the table, pulling his chin up to get his attention, then moved it and cradled his face. The heat of her hands on his jaw was like fire, sending electricity through both of them. She smirked, “I’m going to kiss you...now.”


End file.
